


Metanoia

by Yuyu_Mortis



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Graphic depictions of Food, Protective Everyone, Protective Husk, Seriously I get way too into describing the food in this story, alastor gets excited about new emotions, alastor is a weird boss, alastor sometimes speaks french but charlie has decided it's illegal, angel being shaped like a friend, angel venna and husk yammering in italian, but more importantly they enjoy snarking about alastor being bad at feelings, charlastor - Freeform, charlie magne defense squad, honestly vaggie is a treasure, husk is crafty, no beta we die like men, shaaameless smut, spit it out already you two, vaggie has mom vibes, vaggie threatens in spanish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:20:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25989628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuyu_Mortis/pseuds/Yuyu_Mortis
Summary: Metanoia: a spiritual revelation that comes after a period of penitence.Alastor finds a stray cat and brings her back to the hotel. Shenanigans ensue while she and Husk make pithy observations about the awkward romance blooming between the Radio Demon and the Princess of Hell.
Relationships: Alastor/Charlie Magne
Comments: 26
Kudos: 117





	1. Raining Cats (But No Dogs)

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a hot minute since I flexed my fanfiction muscles, but Charlastor took over my life, and I've lost control of the train. Lucifer take the wheel.
> 
> Venna exists purely to drive the plot along and make snarky commentary with Husk.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adventure begins.

“It’s pouring today, huh, Vags?” remarked Charlie to the petite moth demon.

“It really is,” she agreed.

Rainy days always made Charlie feel sleepy. While she was disappointed that the hotel still only played host to Angel Dust, she appreciated the fact that it meant she didn’t have much she needed to do. She opted to sit on one of the couches that Alastor had so sweetly provided and curled up with a book.

Vaggie sat opposite Charlie, drinking from a steaming mug of coffee. The couple had split up a while back, but they remained close as ever.

“Think anyone will show up today?”

“I wouldn’t count on it. I doubt anyone is even outs-“

Vaggie was interrupted by the front door swinging open.

“Hello, my dears!”

Charlie perked up, and Vaggie frowned; anytime Alastor entered a room, she immediately went to being 200% tired of his existence as opposed to her usual 100%.

“Welcome back, Al!” chirped the princess. His usually grin seemed to widen at her attention.

“You’ll never believe what the cat dragged in!” he said in a chipper tone, as he pushed a petite, rain-drenched figure in front of him. Charlie and Vaggie both stared in shock.

Standing in front of Alastor was a rather small feline demon.

“Don’t be shy! Introduce yourself, my dear!” Alastor encouraged. She glanced back at him nervously, and his eyes narrowed just a bit.

“I-I’m Vendetta…b-but you can call me Venna,” she said quietly. Charlie beamed, and bounced over to take the woman’s hands in her own.

“Hi! I’m Charlie, and welcome to the Happy Hotel!” she said. Venna flinched at the contact, and Charlie quickly pulled her hands back.

“I-I’m sorry. I don’t like being touched out of nowhere,” she said quickly.

“Al, where did you find her?” asked Vaggie suspiciously. Alastor chuckled.

“You know the phrase ‘raining cats and dogs?’” he asked. Vaggie nodded.

“Well, as it happened, I was walking by when this little thing comes tumbling out of the sky and into the arms of one of Valentino’s goons!”

Venna cringed at the memory. Alastor continued explaining how he found her, and she withdrew from the conversation. It was fairly one-sided anyway, and she needed a moment to get her bearings.

~~~

_She lay on the floor, giggling madly with blood in her mouth. A knife had been plunged into her lung, and her one functioning eye stared intensely at her would-be victim._

_“You’re the only one left,” she gurgled. He backed away from her, despite the fact that she was quickly bleeding out._

_“I…got rid…the others…"_

_“What the fuck do you mean by that?”_

_“You were last. You-“ she coughed violently. Her vision was going blurry; she could feel her life ending._

_“Ah…looks like this grudge is going to take me to hell…what a shame…I wanted to drag you down there too,” she said weakly. Steely blue eyes met her remaining emerald green eye, and she grinned wildly._

_"I’ll see you again,” she said as she flicked open the lighter in her hand, igniting the gasoline she had poured. That had been her failsafe; in the event of her demise, she would ignite it and take him down with her. Even if he managed to survive, he would at the very least feel the flames of her anger._

_As the flames grew, she coughed. She watched him run, and she smiled weakly._

_Her grudge had been heard._

_~~~_

“And so that’s the story! As a gentleman, I can’t abide watching a young woman being pulled into an unsavory situation, especially not one involving Valentino,” said Alastor. Charlie gave him a winning smile, and the faintest pink tinged his cheeks. Vaggie rolled her eye and looked at Venna.

“So, you know what this place is, right?”

“Mr. Alastor said it was a safe place where I could stay so I don’t get accosted by that creepy Valentino-guy’s goons again,” she answered. Venna was incredibly timid, especially when it came to talking about men from the looks of things. Vaggie’s expression immediately softened.

“Well, that’s part of it. This is a hotel that rehabilitates sinners,” she said gently.

“Ah…I suppose I wouldn’t be able to stay then,” said Venna with a sad smile. Charlie and Vaggie both tilted their heads.

“I...don’t think I can be rehabilitated. I did something terrible. I deserve this,” she said, lowering her eyes.

“Well, just because you don’t think you can be rehabilitated now doesn’t mean you won’t later! And besides, I can’t just let you go back out there with nowhere safe to stay,” said Charlie. Venna’s gaze snapped up to stare at her.

“You’re…are you serious? I don’t have money to pay for a room, or rent, or-“

“No no no no, my dear. You don’t have to pay to stay here, you simply have to abide by the rules set by our lovely Charlie,” said Alastor with a handwave. Venna tilted her head curiously.

“What would those be?”

“No violence, no drugs, no problematic language,” listed Vaggie. Venna frowned.

“I can’t make any promises about the violence, and I have to admit that I have definitely been known to swear like a sailor,” she said.

“Well, I suppose if it’s in self-defense, violence is okay,” said Charlie. Venna gave her a small smile. She rather liked the princess.

“Then it’s settled! Vendetta, my dear, welcome to the Hazb- Happy Hotel!” said Alastor. The slip-up didn’t go unnoticed, as Charlie gave him a deadpan stare. Alastor made an over-the-top gesture of feigned contrition, and Charlie let out an exasperated huff. Venna’s eyes took on a playful glint as she watched the two demons interact.

 _How cute,_ she thought.

~~~

She settled into her room fairly quickly, which made sense given that she had absolutely no possessions. Alastor explained that she might be able to conjure some if she had an aptitude for magic, but he couldn’t make any promises about it. He did remark that it seemed like Venna had some kind of abilities, but he refused to say what they were.

“You won’t learn to master anything if I simply give you the answers, my dear!”

After heading back down to the lobby, she found herself face to face with an incredibly tall spider demon.

“I ain’t seen you around here before,” he said. Venna immediately jumped back, ears flat against her head. Vaggie hurried over to them and whispered something to the taller demon before returning to the armchair in front of the fireplace.

“So ya had a run-in with one of Val’s goons the second you dropped into hell? Damn, I thought I had rotten luck. Name’s Angel Dust. And who are you, kitten?”

“Venna, and did you just call me kitten-“

“Venna, huh? Nice name. Get cozy in this hotel, it’s probably the safest place to be unless you’re an overlord. After all, you’re under the princess and Alastor’s protection now,” he said before turning to go plop himself onto a couch.

Venna parked herself on a stool at the bar and was watched Angel Dust and Vaggie almost immediately get into an argument. She wasn’t even sure what had set off the pretty moth demon, but her temper had flared, and now it looked like Angel might meet the business end of her spear.

“Who the fuck are you?” came a gruff voice. Venna whirled around, immediately shifting into panic mode. Her ears flattened against her head, and the fur on her tails stood on end. While her panic was apparent, it certainly looked comical juxtaposed with the permanent cat-smile on her face.

“Hey, easy there, I just asked a question!” said the feline demon in front of her. Venna’s ears slowly perked back up, and she smoothed down the fur on her tails. She coughed delicately.

“My name is Vendetta, but my friends call me Venna.”

“Vendetta, huh? That’s certainly a name,” remarked the bartender dryly. Venna gave a weak laugh

“You can just call me Venna. And you are?”

“Name’s Husk. I work for that jackass in red over there,” he grumbled.

“The one staring at Charlie with that lovestruck look on his face?”

“The very same- hold up. What?”

“Take a look!” Venna whispered. The playful look had returned to her face, and Husk had to admit that it was, if not cute, at least better than the panicked expression she'd had moments ago.

Glancing to Alastor, he was stunned to see that Venna was correct in her assessment. 

“Well shit, how about that! Didn’t think that asshole had a heart in him to give,” remarked Husk.

“It’s awfully cute, isn’t it?”

“If you say so. How about a drink, girly?”

“Rum and coke, if you please,” said Venna, giving Husk a smile.

 _How cute,_ he thought.

~~~

Vaggie and Angel Dust had finally stopped arguing, mostly because Vaggie apparently needed to talk to Alastor. She glanced over to the bar where Venna sat happily chatting with Husk to make sure neither feline was listening.

“Alastor, can I talk to you for a moment?” asked Vaggie as she approached the deer demon.

“Miss Vagatha! What can I do for you?”

She cringed at his use of her full first name but opted not to say anything.

“I wanted to…ugh…thank you.”

Alastor’s smile remained unwavering, but his eyes screamed surprise.

“Whatever for, dear?”

“You saved that girl from a very unpleasant fate. Thank you,” said Vaggie. She hid her face behind her hair. A few moments of silence passed between the two demons when Alastor quietly responded.

“You’re very welcome.”

“I still don’t trust you,” she said quickly, “but it is nice to know that you have some kind of moral code.”

Alastor chuckled at that.

“Like I said. It wouldn’t do for a gentleman to ignore a dame in need.”

Vaggie gave him a very small smile.

“Yeah. Guess I’m not used to gentlemen.”

She looked over at the bar again and was surprised to find that it seemed like Venna was opening up to Husk of all people.

When she turned to look back at Alastor, he had vanished.

~~~

Charlie sat in her office and yawned. She needed to get paperwork set up for Venna to fill out, and the storm outside still had her feeling sleepy. Her eyes felt heavy, and she just wanted to go to bed. Closing her eyes for a moment, she laid her head down on her arms.

Her brief reverie was interrupted by the sound of radio static, and her head perked up.

“It’s not good to sleep at your desk, darling,” said Alastor, giving Charlie a gentle smile, which she returned.

“Mm, fair enough. I should get to bed,” she said. Alastor had moved closer to her, and placed his hands on her shoulders. Charlie relaxed into his grip, sighing happily at the pressure.

“Indeed you should, dearest. Shall I escort you to your room?”

“I would love that!”

Alastor felt his heart skip. That was a new feature he had noticed as of late, although it only seemed to happen in the presence of the infernal princess. He wasn’t sure what to make of it just yet, but he knew he enjoyed it. If nothing else, it was novel and entertaining, setting aside the pleasant rush he got from it.

As he and Charlie walked through the lobby, he noticed Venna sitting in front of the fireplace and talking with Husk. That surprised him; he had never known Husk to be the chatty, welcoming sort, and from what he knew of Venna, she was very much on the shy side. Still; the presence of a new guest in the hotel made Charlie beam radiantly at Alastor, and he was thrilled to have that expression all to himself.

A Venna for reference:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alastor, dat's ghey.


	2. Cats Got Your Tongue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaggie and Alastor team up to form the Protect Charlie at All Costs Squad. Husk and Venna get drunk in Italian and make snarky comments. Alastor comes up with a weird punishment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up, it's a long one.

The lovely, rainy weather had continued through the night. As a result, the residents all seemed to sleep a bit more easily, Charlie especially.

And how she had needed it! The sweet princess had been working her fingers to the bone trying to convince sinners to stay at the hotel, but still only had Angel Dust and now Venna to show for it. The day-in, day-out rejection was beginning to wear on her, and it had not gone unnoticed by Vaggie or Alastor.

“You really need to take some time off, hon,” Vaggie had said, concern etched on her features. Charlie had shrugged it off with a tired smile, insisting that her hard work and dedication would pay off.

And so Vaggie once again begrudgingly found herself pulling Alastor aside to speak with him.

“Goodness, twice in one week! To what do I owe this honor?” he asked with a smirk. Vaggie rolled her eye. She was one hundred percent tired of his existence, but Charlie was more important than her dislike of the Radio Demon.

“Charlie has it in her head that pushing herself until she can’t walk will get more guests in the door. She needs to take at least a day off,” explained Vaggie. Alastor nodded in agreement, folding his arms. This had not gone unnoticed to him, and he was secretly glad that Vaggie had brought it up. Knowing Charlie, only having one person on her case wouldn’t work, but having Vaggie as backup on the other hand…

“On that we agree. Our dearest Charlie needs to take a break. I’m guessing that stubborn little do- princess isn’t listening to you?” Vaggie raised an eyebrow at the near slip. He was entirely too obvious.

“You guessed right. Looks like this is going to be…” she gritted her teeth, and Alastor’s grin widened wickedly.

“A team effort!”

~~~

Thanks to Charlie’s sound sleep, she ended up waking up a couple of hours later than usual. Alastor was amused to see her rushing out of her room, hair pulled into a messy, haphazard bun. Instead of her usual slacks and blazer, she had zipped out of her room in a hoodie that was ever so slightly too big, and yoga pants, opting for comfort so she could work efficiently. She was so focused on getting down to her office to try to catch up on the work she would have been behind on that she nearly ran over the Radio Demon in the process.

Fortunately, Alastor was quick to catch her.

“Good morning, my darling! You’re in a rush!” he said.

“Al! Oh gosh, I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice you,” she apologized. Alastor feigned hurt.

“Oh! You wound me so, Charlie! I’ll have to make certain that I work on having your focus on me more,” he teased. Charlie blushed, which did not go unnoticed by Alastor. His grin grew even wider as he smoothly stepped around her to stand at her side, his hand easily falling to her waist.

“W-well, if you insist. I can always stare at you more throughout the day,” she said, a playful smile gracing her lips.

Now it was Alastor’s turn to blush, although his was noticeably more subtle. Still, it wouldn’t do to trip over his words in front of her.

“Are you saying you stare at me, dear princess? Goodness, I hope I don’t do anything too embarrassing when I think no one’s watching,” he returned. Charlie screamed internally, but her face didn’t betray it, and instead, she opted to let her own hand rest on the small of Alastor’s back. They walked in a comfortable silence down the stairs and proceeded down yet another hallway.

Though neither would admit it, both of their hearts were racing at the physical contact. Alastor wondered if this was what being high was like. He would have to inquire with Angel Dust when Charlie wasn’t paying attention – sneakily, as the last thing he wanted was the porn star running his mouth to his darling doe.

No, that certainly wouldn’t do.

“Charlie, you weren’t planning to start working without having breakfast, were you?” he asked as she attempted to turn to head into her office. His grip became just a bit firmer on her waist, sending a lovely shiver down her spine.

“Mmmaybe?”

“Charlie.”

“I’m already off to a late start-“

“Charlie.”

“-and I still need to try to work out activities for this week-“

“Charlotte.”

This time, Alastor’s tone was stern.

Skipping breakfast was objectively terrible, in his opinion, especially when he had cooked it. His pancakes were divine, fluffy on the inside with a perfect crispiness at the edges, and he knew Charlie would be delighted at his pain perdu, made just for her, especially since he had topped it with whipped cream, pecans, and honey rum. He didn’t care for sweets, but Charlie did, and he quite wanted to see her with a spot of whipped cream on her lips. She did have quite pretty lips. It would be quite fun to capture them with his own and sink his teeth into them. He might not mind sweets in that context.

Oh dear. His thoughts had veered there again.

Awkward.

“You’re not going to let me work until I’ve eaten breakfast, are you,” she said. It was more of a resigned statement than it was a question. Alastor gave her a sweet smile, the kind he reserved only for her.

“If I’m being honest, I have half a mind not to let you work for the rest of the week. Don’t think that your little moth friend and I haven’t noticed you working yourself to exhaustion,” he said. Charlie groaned, and then paused for a moment as it dawned on her.

“Wait, Vaggie talked to you about it?”

“Yes indeedy! That alone should tell you how egregious this is!” he said cheerfully. Charlie hadn’t even noticed that he had been steering her toward the lobby where Angel sat talking to the two cats at the bar. Charlie waved at the three, but only Angel and Venna returned it. Niffty was cheerfully zipping to and fro, dusting and singing some adorable nonsense song.

Charlie simply adored that little ball of sunshine.

“I know I’ve been working myself a little harder than usual, but it’s going to be worth it in the long run. Besides, I also need to get paperwork started for Venna’s intake,” she said, trying to make her case. Alastor did not look amused.

Neither did Vaggie as she appeared behind him.

“She’s giving you grief too, huh,” she remarked. Alastor nodded.

“Charlie, I asked the as- Alastor – to talk to you. You can’t keep pushing yourself like this,” she said, concern on her features. Alastor’s eyes narrowed at the near slip-up, but he opted not to say anything. This was not a task for a single demon to take on; if Charlie had a vice, it was that she tended to be a workaholic, and a single-minded one at that. If they hoped to make any progress, they had to act as a unified front.

“If I at least sit down to eat breakfast will you two let me go work after?”

Vaggie and Alastor glanced at each other before turning back to Charlie.

“No,” they said in unison. Silence fell in the lobby. Niffty looked stunned. Husk’s eyebrows were raised in surprise. Not even Angel had a clever little quip about it. Alastor and Vaggie were notorious for their spats (always instigated by the Radio Demon,) so watching them sync up perfectly to fight Charlie on her excessive work ethic was unnerving to everyone.

“Charlie, if Alastor and Vaggie are both saying you need to take some time to rest and relax, you really ought to listen,” chirped Niffty. Charlie sighed.

“I’ll take today off,” she conceded. Vaggie and Alastor both narrowed their eyes.

“Don’t make us pull Angel into this,” they said, once again in perfect unison. Charlie looked at him doubtfully, only to cringe when she realized that he looked like he really was about to get on her case too.

“Don’t think I ain’t noticed, toots,” he warned. Husk smirked. He found this all too amusing.

“Please, _mi amiga,_ you have to give yourself a break. An actual break, not just a day off.”

“She’s right, _ma biche chérie_ ,” agreed Alastor. It seemed that particular pet name was what did her in, as an adorable blush spread over her features. She decided at that moment that Alastor speaking French to her was absolutely, one thousand percent illegal.

“Fine. Two days off,” she said.

“The rest of the week,” said Vaggie with an air of finality. Charlie began to protest, and then, unexpectedly, Husk piped up.

“Take a week off. Spend it with that jackass you like so much,” he said in his typical gruff tone.

“Me?” asked Angel Dust. Alastor’s head turned a full 180 degrees, and he shot Angel an absolutely venomous smile. Angel shrugged it off with a small smirk.

“ _Por que no te callas_?” snapped Vaggie. Angel glared.

“ _Era una scherzo, stronza_ ,” he fired back. Venna’s eye widened in shock.

“ _V_ _oy a patear su culo, malpari_ _do_!”

At that point, Alastor and Charlie found themselves distracted by the Italian and Spanish insults flying back and forth, with Husk sighing and letting his head drop to the bar counter. Venna simply stared with her hand over her mouth.

“As amusing as it is to listen to them bicker, I really must insist that you take time off, darling,” said Alastor gently. Charlie sighed, and opened her mouth to protest, but found herself silenced by Alastor leaning down to whisper in her ear.

“After all, if you take a longer break, you and I can spend time discussing dreams you have for this hotel. And I know you’ve been wanting to finish that novel of yours.”

He absolutely meant that he wanted to spend more time with her, and he knew she picked up on it as well thanks to the blush spreading across her cheeks. Teasing her was an absolute joy.

“Okay. I’ll take a week off,” she said, defeated. Vaggie turned away from Angel Dust with a smile that could light up a room.

“Really?”

“Really really,” said Charlie. It was hard to go back on it with Vaggie beaming, although the instant Alastor had pointed out that they would be able to spend more time together that way, she had been sold on the idea. Vaggie practically bounced with elation.

“Fantastic! Don’t worry, I can take care of everything while you’re relaxing!” she said, unable to keep the relief out of her voice.

“And what Miss Vaggie cannot figure out on her own, I can assist her with, although I’m certain she’ll be fine,” said Alastor. It was less out of goodwill for Vaggie than it was to ensure Charlie’s peace of mind, although he was pleased to see a genuine smile from the moth demon. Vaggie was exceptionally pretty when she smiled. Everyone looked better with a smile.

“If I’d known that me overworking would get you two to get along, I’d have worked even harder,” said Charlie with a giggle. At that, Alastor’s smile turned menacing, and his pupils shifted into radio dials. Vaggie’s bow had also sharpened into points as her smile fell and she glared at Charlie, who immediately put her hands up defensively.

“Kidding! It was a joke!”

Vaggie sighed and rolled her eye as she relaxed, but her smile had returned. Alastor’s expression also softened as he playfully pinched Charlie’s cheek.

“If you’re done threatening Vaggie and me with your overworking, I believe breakfast is in order. I made pancakes!”

“They’re amazing!” said Venna with an adorable smile which Alastor returned.

Husk gave Venna a look, his lips curling into the world’s smallest grin. Venna hadn’t even noticed it, so invested she was in savoring her pancake.

“Hey V, you’ve got syrup on your face.”

~~~

Alastor had steered Charlie to a table and gently sat her down. He placed the delightfully sweet treat he had made specially for Charlie in front of her. Her eyes widened in the most adorable way, and he felt that pleasant jolt of something zip through his entire body. Her sense of politeness kept her desire to just devour the pain perdu outright in check, but it was hard to mask her delight.

He made certain that Charlie was eating breakfast and relaxing, and Vaggie contentedly headed to the office to take over Charlie’s duties for the week, but not before speaking to Alastor in a low voice.

“Thanks. Still don’t trust you,” she began. Alastor rolled his eyes.

“A wise decision.”

“Take care of her, okay? Make sure she’s actually relaxing,” said Vaggie. It was clear that it wasn’t a request, but given the subject, Alastor accepted it.

“You have my word.”

Vaggie rewarded him with a small smile before turning to leave, and Alastor took Charlie by the hand to park her on a couch. Charlie picked up a book that she had left on the coffee table, thankful that Niffty hadn’t moved it. Alastor gave a wave of his hand and a book plopped onto his lap from the ether. With that, Charlie settled herself against him, much to his surprise. He froze up, fluffy ears standing up completely. She was _so_ soft. She was so _warm_. Her cozy attire only made her feel even softer against him.

He could drown in all that she was, and it thrilled him as much as it unsettled him.

A without realizing it, he had begun emitting a soft jazzy tune, unintentionally creating a comfortable atmosphere. The only other sounds were Charlie’s occasional giggle at something she had found amusing in her book, and the clinking of glassware against the bar counter.

“God, those two are disgusting,” grumbled Husk, watching the pair. Venna gave a light chuckle in response.

“I think it’s cute. Think they’ll fess up to their feelings anytime soon?” she asked as Husk passed her a hard cider to follow the shot she had just taken.

In life, she had never been much for alcohol, and certainly wasn’t prone to day drinking, but she didn’t have much else to do, so why the hell not?

“Doubt it. Al’s stubborn as hell and wouldn’t know a crush if it danced naked in front of him,” remarked Husk in a low voice. Venna glanced over at the two, and noticed Alastor’s ears twitching in their direction, so she quickly asked:

“ _Parli Italiano_?”

“ _Sì, perché_?” he asked.

“ _Il cervo sta ascoltando_ ,” she explained. Husk nodded, although he had a feeling that Alastor would end up interrogating both of them once Charlie was out of the room. For the time being, however, he was content to continue his commentary with Venna.

“[The two of them are pretty obvious, aren’t they?]” giggled Venna as she took a drink of her cider.

“[Pretty fuckin’ gross if you ask me.]”

“[I’m almost tempted to take a bet on when they’ll get together,]” she said. The alcohol was beginning to hit, and it made her quite giggly and playful.

“[Care to make a bet, V? I’m always down to gamble,]” he said with a wicked grin. Venna returned the expression with her own mischievous smirk.

“[If Charlie doesn’t confess first, I’ll scratch you behind the ears for an hour,]” she offered with a wink. Husk scoffed.

“[I guarantee Al’s gonna fess up first. If he doesn’t, I’ll do the same for you,]” he countered. He would have bet money, but knowing that Venna had nothing to her name, he didn’t bother. Besides, having someone scratch behind your ears when they know exactly _where_ to scratch since they’re the same species was actually incredibly pleasant. And Venna was the type who would ask for permission before touching anyone. He could appreciate that.

The two had become so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn’t noticed Charlie leaving (citing a need to use the restroom for just a moment), nor had they noticed Alastor looming behind Venna. Husk’s expression shifted to one of concern.

“The fuck do you want with me now?” he asked. Alastor’s grin dripped malice.

“Oh no, Husker. It’s our dear little kitten that I wish to speak to,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. Husk cringed as she flinched; her ears had flattened against her head, and she had tucked her tails closer to her. All of that giggly openness from the alcohol immediately evaporated.

“P-please don’t t-touch me without warning me,” she said in a strained voice. Alastor immediately removed his hands upon seeing Husk’s expression. The surly bartender usually didn’t glower as intensely as he was doing, so clearly something was beyond amiss.

“Apologies, my dear. Tell me, do you have anything that you could be doing that doesn’t involve gossiping in a foreign language?”

Venna swallowed thickly. She didn’t like men like Alastor on the best of days and having him focusing all of his attention on her made her extraordinarily nervous.

“C-c-can’t say that I do,” she stuttered.

“Well then, Miss Vendetta, I believe it’s time to assign you a job,” said Alastor in a low voice. She began trying to scoot off of the bar stool but found herself held in place by a shadow.

“As you may recall, _you made a deal with me_ ,” he said. Husk’s ear twitched at that.

Venna hadn’t noticed her hair moving to push Alastor away from her, nor had she noticed it growing so that it could.

“What do you need?” she asked, heart racing in panic.

“Firstly, I’ll need you to calm down and call off your rather aggressive locks,” he answered. Venna tilted her head, and finally noticed her long black tresses curling and uncurling menacingly.

“I swear, I wasn’t doing that on purpose! I didn’t even know I could! What in the nine circles was that? Alastor, what’s happening to me?” she babbled frantically, tears threatening to fall. Alastor sighed, massaging his temples.

“Secondly, you will be assisting Husk behind the bar. Boredom is bad for the soul,” he continued. Venna’s freak out had not subsided. Alastor was bad at soothing panicked felines.

“As for what’s happening, all demons have some form of self-defense. You’re a clever kitty; I’m certain you can extrapolate.”

Venna took a lock of hair in her hand and fiddled with it, trying to settle her frazzled nerves. As she did, her hair returned to its normal length.

“I believe you’ll be needing a uniform. None of this miniskirt and t-shirt nonsense,” said Alastor. That immediately earned Venna’s ire. She quite liked her clothes!

But it had done what Alastor wanted. Nothing eased panic like annoying the shit out of someone.

“My clothes are fine!” she snapped. Husk’s ears perked up; seeing her show her feisty side was entertaining as all get out.

Alastor, however, was unflappable, and simply flicked his wrist. A uniform materialized from the ether and plopped into Venna’s lap.

“Stop fretting, my dear girl. I believe you’ll find this outfit suitable. Additionally, you’ll need this,” he said. He flicked his wrist, and Venna found her long hair pulled into a neat ponytail and tied with a crimson ribbon, complete with pinstripes as if to remind her who she worked for.

“This ought to keep your grabby hair under control,” he said. His tone had an undercurrent of warning, as if telling her that if she had the audacity to use her ability against him again, there would be a problem.

She did not like problems.

“Understood…sir…” she mumbled, looking down.

“Permission to touch?” he asked. Her head snapped up; surprise etched on her face. He had _asked_.

“You may.”

He gently patted her head.

“Good girl! Why don’t you go get changed? I need to discuss some affairs with Husk. Privately. Go get changed,” he said. Venna sighed, gave Husk a weak smile, and slinked off to her room.

~~~

“The fuck are you pullin’ now?” growled Husk. He was displeased at having his pleasant drinking conversation interrupted; it was especially nice to be able to speak freely for a bit.

“Our dear Venna needs to learn to relax, and out of everyone here, you seem to be the person she trusts most I believe,” explained Alastor. Husk groaned.

“You ain’t telling me the full story,” he accused. Alastor’s smile widened.

“Of course not! That would spoil the fun!”

With that, Alastor turned on his heel, leaving one very frustrated bartender behind, saying something about going to find Charlie in a sing-song voice. Finally.

Husk poured himself a drink and began to think.

Obviously Venna had made a deal with Alastor at some point. It was likely made in a fit of desperation or panic, given her jumpy nature. That meant that it was most likely a promise of protection in exchange for service.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with that. Poor doll. She seemed like a nice girl; it was a shame she had gotten mixed up with that son of a bitch.

He took a swig. He may not have been the most welcoming or friendly of demons, but he did have a protective streak, and he knew trauma when he saw it. Venna hadn’t said anything about it, and he doubted she would anytime soon. That was fine. He didn’t mind just spending time with her, and in a way, Alastor had helped him out by assigning her to work alongside him. 

He hoped the uniform would be cute.

Moreover, he wondered how he would guarantee that he won that damn bet. Alastor would need some kind of push to finally spit it out to Charlie. The moron was so clearly over the moon that Niffty had begun talking about it to him. No one was any less terrified of him, but they did find the awkward dance between the two to be incredibly entertaining.

Still, he considered what he would win if he managed to coax Alastor into spilling it first. After all, despite all appearances, Husk knew how to play people like a Stradivarius

Husk was not the sort of cat who lost bets.

What's that? No one asked? Well alright, here, have Venna's uniform and Charlie's hoodie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> *Ma biche chérie - my darling doe  
> *Por que no te callas? - why don't you shut up?  
> *Era una scherzo, stronza! - it was a joke, bitch!  
> *Voy a patear su culo, malparido! - I'm going to kick your ass, you son of a bitch!  
> *Parli Italiano? - do you speak Italian?  
> *Sì, perché? - yes, why?  
> *Il cervo sta ascoltando - the deer is listening
> 
> Wowie I went ham on the Spanish and Italian. Also, holy fuck, Al, calm down.
> 
> I crave pain perdu now. 
> 
> Expect more shenaniganery and lengthy food descriptions in the next chapter!


	3. Purrfect Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rumble of fatherly disappointment looms. Alastor continues being thirsty for Charlie and makes Venna cry.

Lucifer steepled his fingers and furrowed his brow. This would not do.

Valentino, Vox, and Velvet were getting far too cocky, making plans for a power grab.

This time, however, they chosen a more effective weakness in his armor. He had picked up the rumors of targeting Charlie, and he despised that. With her living outside of the palace, he had no way of guaranteeing her safety.

Some might call him overprotective. He considered himself to simply be a doting father. Sure, he might not always be the most understanding parent, but he loved Charlie dearly!

The thought of someone harming his precious little apple pie made his blood boil.

“Luci, darling, you’ve been staring at our family portrait for ten minutes straight,” said Lilith in a gentle voice. She sidled over to her husband and lightly ran her fingers along his shoulder. He relaxed into her touch, grateful for her grounding influence.

“I’m worried about Charlie, dearest. I’ve heard rumors along the grapevine that she may be the target of a few overlords looking to make a power grab,” he sighed. Lilith gave a nod and sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“You don’t suppose…” he started.

“I know where you’re going with this,” she said. She wasn’t particularly thrilled with the idea, but…

“It would have to be to an overlord, or a prince,” said Lucifer.

“Or princess!” piped up Lilith. Lucifer nodded. He summoned his secretary, a petite imp who gave a polite curtsy.

“How may I serve you, your highnesses?” she asked.

“Clear our schedules for this afternoon and evening. Family emergency,” said Lucifer curtly. Lilith raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are you thinking of visiting our sweet apple blossom at that hotel of hers?” she asked.

“I am. I was hoping that you might accompany me, my darkest star,” he said, bowing to take his wife’s hand. He pressed her knuckles to his lips in an overt display of affection. A smile spread on Lilith’s face.

“How could I say no to a charmer like you?” she chuckled.

“In the meantime, I suppose it may be necessary to consider prospective suitors.”

“Charlotte isn’t going to like this, my love.”

Lucifer sighed. Lilith was right of course; she was always right.

But Charlie’s safety was his top concern.

~~~

Venna _hated_ this.

The uniform that Alastor had provided her practically yelled that she was working for him as opposed to simply being a guest in the hotel. How could a man like that be so inscrutable, yet so obvious at the same time?

“ _Boh! Pubblicizza che sono il tuo subalterno, perché non lo fai tu?”_ she hissed to herself. She pulled the skirt of the uniform up; it was considerably more modest than her previous skirt. Next came the crimson blouse; it lacked the cross that adorned Alastor’s shirt, but instead it had buttons. Then came the vest, the same shade as her skirt. It hugged her waist while still being understated and demure. Finally, she tied the provided tie into a pretty bow.

While she detested how loudly it yelled that she was subordinate to Alastor, she had to admit, it was awfully cute.

To some degree that made her hate it even more.

At least he let her keep her boots.

Exiting her room, she strode down the hall, only to bump into Vaggie. Venna bounced backward quickly, and hastily apologized.

“Don’t worry about it. You know, you’re awfully soft-spoken and polite for a sinner,” remarked the moth demon. Her eye held a curious spark; Venna was of the opinion that it made Vaggie more beautiful than she already was.

Gosh, she was awfully enamored with Vaggie.

“Just because I…well. Did something awful when I was alive doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to be polite. After all, Alastor is evil incarnate and the embodiment of irritating bullshit, but he’s still polite,” Venna replied. Vaggie tilted her head. It made enough sense, she supposed. The two continued walking down the hall and talking.

“Y’know, Venna, you’re going to have to open up about why you ended up down here in the first place,” said Vaggie. Very slowly, she placed a comforting hand on Venna’s arm, which Venna accepted. She liked how the petite woman respected her boundaries without needing a reminder.

“I know. It’s just a lot to talk about so soon. To be honest, I’m still processing it,” admitted Venna with a slump of her shoulders. Vaggie hummed a quite sound of understanding.

“Well…when you’re ready, know that Charlie and I will listen. You can even come and cry in your pajamas,” said Vaggie with a kind smile. Venna giggled, then paused as Vaggie turned to head into her office.

She didn’t own pajamas.

Fuck.

~~~

Charlie had returned to her spot on the couch, resting against Alastor, simply enjoying her book and the comforting warmth that radiated off of him. His scent was also enjoyable; the scent of pine trees, freshly turned earth, and spice had Charlie unconsciously nuzzling into him to bask in it.

She listened to the sound of his breathing, no longer paying attention to her book. She could hear his heart beating faster than normal; it always seemed to do that when she was with him. She couldn’t complain though; her own heart often felt like it would thump out of her chest when he leaned down to whisper things to her in French.

That was _illegal_.

“Love, are you even reading at this point?” he asked, not even glancing up from his book.

“Not really,” she said lightly. He placed her arm around her, lazily pulling her closer to him.

Being possessive was simply in his nature; he liked holding the things he liked close, and he liked Charlie.

He liked Charlie more than most people. She was just so entertaining with her emotions being expressed so passionately, her radiant smile, her gentle eyes, and shy idiosyncrasies. To Alastor, she was a ball of contradictions: a performer, but shy. Powerful, but demure when not in the spotlight.

He loved that.

If any demon were to genuinely have a rainbow in them, which he still insisted was not the case, it was her. She was just so vivid. It made him want to hold her close and never let go.

He wanted Charlie to be his, and his alone.

Without realizing it, his grip had tightened on Charlie. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it certainly grabbed her attention. She decided at that moment that nuzzling into Alastor’s chest was a good idea. When she lifted her head, he was making very direct eye contact with her.

His eyes darted to her lips and back to her eyes, and he leaned in closer. His breathing hitched. A deep blush was spreading over Charlie’s face; it took every ounce of restraint not to simply grab her chin and kiss her.

Then she gave him a half-lidded smile and leaned closer to him. Alastor was elated. She wanted him too.

Barely any space was left between them; Alastor could feel the warmth from Charlie’s lips on his own.

Then came a knock on the hotel door.

Charlie briefly pulled away from Alastor, only to lean forward and press her lips to his.

That may have been a mistake, because now, she just wanted to grab the lapels of his coat and kiss him more. He hadn’t loosened his grip on her either; holding her close as his heart raced. It was as though he had gotten drunk on that one single kiss.

Eager to explore this explosion of feeling, he gently caught Charlie’s chin in his hand and tilted her face up to kiss her again.

Oh sweet, merciless Satan, he didn’t want to stop.

Since the two of them seemed to be in their own little world, Venna decided to answer the door.

She instantly regretted it.

Lucifer and Lilith eyed her, and she curtsied, speaking with enough volume to catch Charlie and Alastor’s attention before they made it to the part of the lobby where they were tucked away in an alcove.

“Your Royal Highnesses, welcome to the Happy Hotel. How may I serve you?” she asked as she lowered her eyes demurely. Speaking with confidence was putting her on edge. She wanted to return to Husk’s side as quickly as possible.

“What a darling girl! Such a pretty reception!” said Lilith, clasping her hands together. Lucifer nodded in agreement; a large smile plastered on his face. It did not comfort Venna in the slightest.

“Tell me, my girl, where is my daughter?” he asked in a jovial tone. Venna paused, then bowed her head before speaking.

“Please allow me to escort you to her.”

By then, Charlie and Alastor had sorted themselves out and sat primly on the cough together.

“Well, if it isn’t my sweet candy apple!”

Charlie sprang to her feet, whirling around at her father’s voice. He pulled her into a hug, patting her hair. Lilith followed suit, kissing her daughter on the adorable red spots on her cheeks.

“Hello darling. I’m pleased to see that your hotel project seems to be blossoming,” said Lilith. Charlie simply stared, before finally asking:

“What are you doing here?”

When Charlie asked that, Venna very quickly darted back to the bar, tucking herself under one of Husk’s wings.

Usually he wouldn’t allow that, but he was developing a soft spot for Venna.

Besides, having a pretty girl at his side felt nice.

Lilith gave Lucifer a gentle nudge and he took Charlie by the hands.

“We should have this conversation privately,” he said gently. Charlie raised an eyebrow as anxiety began to bubble in her gut. Alastor started to move toward Charlie’s side, but Lucifer raised a hand.

“This is a family matter, Radio Demon,” he said sharply.

Alastor hated that, but he recognized that trying to fight Lucifer on it would not end well, and so he gave a slight bow of his head.

“I’ll be here when you return,” he said while making direct eye contact with Charlie. He watched with narrowed eyes as Charlie led her parents into a room that she had turned into a reception office.

He turned to the two cats at the bar, raising an eyebrow as Venna flinched and tucked herself more closely into Husk’s side.

“Did you two know about this?” he asked, his smile unwavering. Venna shook her head quickly, not making eye contact with him. Husk’s glare deepened.

“Why the fuck would I hide that from you? You think I want a surprise visit from the head honcho?”

“Dear girl, why are you hiding your face? You aren’t lying to me, are you?” asked Alastor, malice dripping from each word.

“I-“

“Why the fuck would she hide that from you? You think she wants a surprise visit from the head honcho any more than I do?” grumped Husk. Alastor drew himself up to his full height and grinned down at Venna. Something about that pushed her to speak up.

“Y-you want to know why I’m hiding my face from you? I-it’s because I’m scared! I don’t know why Lucifer and Lilith are here, and n-now you’re eyeing me like you’re about to put me th-through a wall!” she snapped, fear giving way to indignation. That outburst surprised both Alastor and Husk. She stood up to her full (not very impressive) height and defiantly stared Alastor in the face.

“I may work for you, but…but…” she began to fumble her words, quickly losing whatever confidence her upset had sparked.

“’But’ what, my girl?” sneered Alastor.

“I wouldn’t…I would never…you’re…” she started, but then caught the tell-tale crack of her voice, and felt the lump building up in her throat. Husk placed a gentle hand on her back.

“I’m what, Vendetta?”

“You’re…the person who saved me…even if you scare me. I don’t keep secrets like that from my friends, and that’s what you are, even if you are a jerk,” she said with a sniffle.

That was not the response that Alastor was expecting, nor was it the answer Husk expected. Silence fell, broken only by Venna’s sniffling.

“Good job, asshole, you made her cry,” remarked Husk dryly.

“Venna dear, do stop that. There’s no need for tears,” said Alastor. She rubbed at her eyes quickly before looking up at him.

“I won’t be putting you through a wall anytime soon, so put that nonsense out of your head this instant, young lady,” he continued. Husk rolled his eyes. Of fucking course Alastor would refuse to apologize.

“Now, I believe it would be prudent to bring our guests some refreshments. Go prepare some coffee. I believe there are a few beignets that you can take to them as well. Be a dear and make sure you’re _very attentive_ to their needs,” he ordered. Venna sighed and slipped away to do as she was told.

“You’re a real piece of work, Al. Making a girl cry and then ordering her around,” remarked Husk before he took a swig of his drink. Alastor shrugged.

“She knows I’m not going to harm her for now, so there’s no issue,” he said coolly.

Husk sighed as Alastor’s gaze drifted to the door that Charlie had entered.

It was going to be a long day.

~~~

“So what brings you two here so suddenly?” asked Charlie in a guarded tone. Lucifer glanced at Lilith, and she gave him a small nod.

“Apple Pie, you know that we love you, yes?” began Lucifer. Charlie narrowed her eyes a bit, but she nodded.

“There have been…unsavory rumors making their way to me. Rumors of a power grab by the V trio of overlords,” he continued. Charlie frowned.

“Why would that worry you? You could knock them down without even lifting a finger,” she said.

“Indeed, I could! But they aren’t planning to target me directly.”

Oh, Charlie did not like where this was going.

“You’re not going to make me shut down the hotel to go home, are you? There are demons who have nowhere else to go!” she began to argue, but she was silenced by Lucifer raising his hand.

“No, no, my sweet apple, I won’t be making you close down your…passion project. But I need to ensure your safety. And our family line must continue if we are to remain at the top,” he said. Charlie felt her heart drop into her stomach. The room was spinning. Her father never brought up their family line unless he was talking to her about whoever she was seeing at the time.

“D…daddy, you’re not suggesting…” she said, fighting the rising anxiety in her chest.

“Your father isn’t suggesting, Charlotte,” said her mother in a firm tone.

“Wait, but…I can’t…I just-“

A knock sounded at the door, cutting through the tension.

“Come in!” said Charlie, a bit too quickly. A distraction stepped into the room in the form of Venna with a tray of refreshments. She placed them on the coffee table between Charlie and her parents and spoke in a soft voice.

“Is there anything I can get for you?”

“No, dear, you’ve been quite considerate as it is,” said Lilith graciously. Venna kept her eyes on the floor. The pressure exerted by the royals made it hard for her to think, and she prayed to whoever was listening that they hadn’t noticed her waiting for ten minutes beforehand to enter.

“If you’ll excuse me, then,” she said before leaving.

Charlie took a breath, trying to convince herself to take a bite of a beignet. It was difficult to want to when they reminded her of Alastor, and there was the distinct chance that she might not get the chance to be with him any longer.

“So…we’re looking for suitors for you,” said Lucifer, finally dropping that bomb. Charlie’s shoulders slumped and her head dropped.

“Who…who exactly are you thinking?” she asked, not looking at her parents.

Lucifer tipped his head toward Lilith, and she spoke.

“Well, darling, considering your status, you would need to marry a prince, or princess. Or an overlord would do,” she said with a knowing arch of the eyebrow.

Charlie froze.

An overlord?

“I’ve been considering snatching Vox away from them. Perhaps that would disrupt their plans,” mused Lucifer. The TV-headed demon could be bombastic, but he was level-headed and would likely treat Charlie well. Their love of performing would also help them get along.

“Nope, no, absolutely not happening, I am vetoing that yesterday,” said Charlie with a sharp glare, sclerae flashing red. Lucifer raised an eyebrow as if daring her to take that attitude again.

“Do you have a preference for any overlords in particular, Candy Apple?” he asked, a slight sneer edging into his tone. 

“I…uh…” Charlie faltered a bit. This was not a conversation she was ready to have. Lilith moved to sit with her daughter and gently stroked her back.

“A mother knows, darling. You do have a preference, don’t you?” she asked. Charlie blushed about as red as Alastor’s eyes. A smile graced her lips, and she looked to Lucifer.

“Luci, would you go bring the Radio Demon in here?”

~~~

Alastor was not usually the sort to be unsettled. He generally prided himself on always maintaining control over any situation. Being in charge and being center stage were second nature to him. Things disrupting that agitated him.

When Venna had returned and given her report, he sent her back to the bar without so much as a glance. He did not like this at all.

“ _Vox_? That irritating walking picture show? Absolutely not. I’d sooner kill him than let him even touch Charlie,” snarled Alastor.

Husk was not a fan of the overwhelming static filling the air. His ears flattened against his head and his glare grew even deeper.

In addition to his need to have control in any given situation, Alastor also had an extremely hard time standing still when he was aggravated. He would pace, raise himself up on the balls of his feet, and run his fingers through his hair all while emitting a grating static sound. He found himself distracted when he heard the door to the reception room open, and he looked up with an expectant smile, only for it to fall somewhat upon seeing Lucifer.

“Venna can show you to the restrooms,” said Alastor, carefully keeping his emotional state hidden. The assumption may have been impudent, but he was in a foul mood thanks to the fallen angel standing before him. Lucifer shook his head and held up his hand.

“No. I came out here to get you. Your presence is needed,” he said. With that, he turned on his heel and walked back to the reception room with Alastor following behind in silent confusion.

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two, save for the static emitting from Alastor. He couldn’t really help it; his anxiety needed to be expressed somehow.

Suddenly, Lucifer turned on his heel to face Alastor directly.

“Tell me, boy. What are you playing at with my daughter?”

Alastor stared at him, utterly flabbergasted. Firstly, how dare he call Alastor “boy” when he was a grown man, and nearly one hundred years old as a demon. Secondly, a person can’t just spring that on someone and expect them to have an answer!

“She and her project are entertaining. I happen to find her to be quite the charming belle,” said Alastor, quickly recovering from his moment of shock. Lucifer squinted.

“And what are your feelings toward her?”

“I…don’t feel particularly comfortable answering that just now,” he admitted. Lucifer’s expression grew smug, and he turned away from Alastor to continue to the reception room.

When Lucifer opened the door and saw Lilith stroking Charlie’s hair, his heart softened a bit. He knew Charlie was unhappy with this sudden decision, but he needed her to be safe.

And as foolish as he thought her dream was, he didn’t want her to give up what she was working for. Not having a purpose would dim her light.

“My darlings, I’m back. And I brought company!” said Lucifer. Charlie didn’t respond until her father brough Alastor over and motioned for him to sit. At that, she sat up in surprise.

“I’m certain you’re wondering why I brought you here, Radio Demon,” began Lucifer. Charlie’s heart began to race, and the cogs in her mind began to spin.

“I’ll admit, I’m quite curious! What could the illustrious King of Hell want with a simple sinner like me?” he asked. Lucifer rolled his eyes.

“Don’t give me that. We all know what you are. No one has forgotten the carnage you left in your wake. I still see posters of you plastered around Pentagram City, graffitied with ‘do not fuck with him.’”

Alastor smirked; hearing that pleased him greatly.

“And that is precisely why I’ve brought you in here. My beloved Charlie is being targeted by other overlords, and I can’t always be around to protect her. But…” he gave Alastor a wicked grin.

“Luci, darling, stop trying to intimidate him. Alastor, dear, please be honest. How do you feel about our Charlie?” asked Lilith. Alastor averted his eyes, but he maintained his smile.

Glancing at Charlie and seeing her small smile accompanied by an adorable blush gave him a boost of confidence.

Or maybe it was just his ego flying into overdrive.

“Charlie inspires me. She’s entertaining, charming, and lovely in all regards. I am _extremely_ fond of that darling doe,” he said. Charlie’s blush grew even brighter; Alastor calling her a doe carried much more weight than she figured her parents realized.

Lilith smiled approvingly.

“I’m just going to ask. Charlie, would Alastor be an acceptable suitor for you?”

Charlie stared at Alastor, her eyes asking him a million questions all at once. His eyes held only one answer.

“Yes.”

“And you, Alastor. Will you promise to be by Charlie’s side, to protect and cherish her?”

“Your majesties, it sounds as though you’re arranging a marriage,” remarked Alastor. Lilith’s smile widened as Charlie hid her face behind her hair. Being a princess could be such a pain in the ass.

“That is exactly what’s happening here,” said Lucifer, making dead eye contact with Alastor. Alastor’s grin widened to a disturbing degree, the radio dials in his eyes beginning to spin gleefully. However, instead of answering Lucifer, he stood up, walked over to Charlie, bent down on one knee, and took her hand in his own.

“It’s quite rushed, but given the circumstances, we’ll need to handle courtship a bit out of order. I hope that’s alright with you, dearest,” he said, holding her hand to his lips.

Charlie hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath.

“Will you-“

“Yes.”

Lucifer sat back, a relieved expression washing over his features. This was far simpler than he could have ever dreamed.

Not only did Charlie have a fiancé, but Lucifer could now look forward to the infamous Radio Demon being recognized as part of the Magne family. He knew this didn’t mean he could control Alastor by any means, but this did grant him the knowledge that Alastor wouldn’t be coming after them anytime soon.

And Charlie seemed elated. She wouldn’t have to go through the rigamarole of rejecting every suitor her father could find. He clearly remembered her reaction to the suggestion of Vox.

He wouldn’t have minded him, but he knew a lovestruck face when he saw one.

He knew, because he had worn the same expression that Alastor now wore when he gazed at Lilith. No matter how the deer demon masked his emotions, the ardent look he was giving Charlie was not one that could be faked, and he couldn't bear to see Charlie in a miserable, loveless marriage. Despite his distrust of the Radio Demon, he could tell that he brought Charlie joy.

“Well then, I suppose that takes care of that!” he said cheerfully. Lilith gave a pleased clap of her hands.

“Why don’t we all go out and celebrate tonight? It’s not every day your daughter becomes betrothed to one of the most powerful overlords in Hell,” she said with a melodic laugh.

“Okay, okay, if you all try to make me blush any further, my blood vessels will burst.” Alastor smiled sweetly, intertwining his fingers with hers.

“A celebration is very fitting! This is a wonderful turn of events after all!” he agreed.

“We’ll go have the car pulled up. Meet us outside of the hotel,” said Lucifer coolly.

The instant her parents had left the reception room, Alastor picked Charlie up to spin her around. He couldn’t help it; this was just _too_ perfect.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” asked Charlie as he set her down. He nodded.

“I’m completely certain. While it is a bit rushed, I had no intention of letting you go from the moment your lips touched mine. Speaking of which…” he trailed off as he leaned down to pull Charlie’s face to his.

This kiss was deeper than the first few shared by the two of them. He was inexperienced, but he more than made up for that with the passion behind his kiss.

Not wanting to be shown up, Charlie took the opportunity to nip at his lower lip, which he returned. The feeling of his sharp teeth on her lips caused her to gasp, and with that, Alastor deepened their kiss. He craved more of this fluttery, hot feeling that only Charlie could evoke, and it made his kisses become almost possessive. Eventually, he realized that they couldn't just make out in the reception room forever; besides, keeping his future in-laws waiting was a bad idea. Lucifer already seemed to have a level of dislike for him. 

Ribbing him would not end well if he couldn't develop some kind of rapport with him, and that began with punctuality.

"My darling, I believe we may need to continue this later. Your parents _are_ waiting."

~~~

Unbeknownst to the pair of them, Husk and Venna had been listening closely from the hallway.

“Hey V.”

“Yes, Husk?” she asked, refusing to make eye contact. She didn’t need to in order to see the smug look on his face at knowing that he had won their bet.

The two of them hastily returned to the bar to avoid being spotted by the two oblivious lovebirds.

When aforementioned lovebirds finally emerged from the reception room, Husk and Venna were both drinking behind the bar.

“We’ll be going out for the evening. Husk, Venna, make sure to protect the hotel,” said Alastor, unable to keep the warmth out of his voice. He was just _so thrilled._

“Understood! Have a lovely night!” chirped Venna.

Charlie waved at the two felines as she and Alastor walked out.

When they were certain that the two had left, Venna turned to Husk and grinned.

“Seems like our deer boss is quite the smitten kitten.”

“I still won our bet.”

“Trust me, I haven’t forgotten,” she said, gently bumping her cheek against his arm.

For just a moment, everything felt okay.

And then Angel sprinted in through the door, battered and out of breath.

Husk and Venna immediately shotgunned their drinks at the same time.

It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH SHIT, BET YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING A SURPRISE ARRANGED MARRIAGE AU WERE YA
> 
> Boh! Pubblicizza che sono il tuo subalterno, perché non lo fai tu - Ugh! Just advertise that I'm your underling, why don't you?


	4. Cat Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie and Alastor have dinner with Lucifer and Lilith while Yuyu_Mortis goes into too much detail for food descriptions. Angel has a moment with Vaggie. Venna and Husk fulfill their command to protect the hotel.

“So, Charlie, how exactly is your hotel doing?” asked Lucifer. Charlie fidgeted a little bit next to Alastor, but she gave her father a smile.

“It’s slow-going, but we’ve got a few guests! And the best part is that Al has them working around the hotel. I think that having things to occupy their time is good for them,” she said. She took a sip of water as her father gave an approving nod.

“It certainly will be slow-going, Sweet Apple. I am going to recommend against getting your hopes up this early in,” he said. Charlie’s smile remained, but her eyes fell. Maintaining a smile was one of the few ways she was able to keep herself guarded.

“Charlie is quite adept at bringing out the best in people,” said Alastor. Under the table, Charlie squeezed his hand in a subtle show of thanks.

“While I don’t believe that redemption is possible for these loathsome sinners, I _do_ believe that if anyone could bring it about, it would be Charlie. Why, it’s hard not to smile at all times in her presence!”

“My darling girl is very bright, in both senses of the word. I do hope that you plan to keep her safe despite your lack of faith in her work,” said Lilith pointedly. The backhanded remark did not go unnoticed, but Alastor’s impassive smile remained.

“Keeping her safe is the bare minimum,” he said sincerely. In that, he was completely honest.

When the food they had ordered arrived, Alastor took a moment to inspect it.

The steak he had ordered seemed to be cooked to perfection; he had ordered it bleu, and the sear was impeccable. The side of lightly sautéed asparagus would complement it nicely, as well as the potatoes seasoned with rosemary and cooked in garlic butter. The smell alone made his mouth water, and when he took a bite of aforementioned steak, he couldn’t help but close his eyes as it practically melted in his mouth.

Lucifer took note of the discerning look that Alastor had given his meal, and found it amusing. The wicked Radio Demon being a classy foodie wasn’t something he was expecting.

Charlie was already taking delicate bites of the salad she had ordered, trying to hide her delight at how it tasted. Steak had been cut into bite sized pieces and mixed into the leafy greens; the entire salad itself was dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette. The sliced strawberries and walnuts caught her by surprise, but she found that they played well together, and created a heavenly blend of savory and sweet.

Lilith couldn’t keep herself from giggling at the two sitting before her. They were both clearly enjoying their meals, and it was quite endearing to see that some of the quirks in the relationship she had with Lucifer were echoed in Charlie and Alastor.

In her opinion, that was an excellent sign. No one could bring a smile to her face like her darling husband, who was currently wearing the same exact expression that Charlie had when she first took a bite of her salad. Unsurprisingly, he had ordered a sugar-cured pork chop with a side of asparagus (at Lilith’s insistence) and applesauce. Applesauce went perfectly with pork chops, and he would die on that hill.

Lilith herself had ordered the same salad as Charlie, curious to see how the flavors would play, and as she took a bite, she understood her daughter’s reaction.

Their family meal continued in a comfortable silence as they ate, and Charlie was pleased to see how well Alastor was able to integrate himself into their dynamic.

Lucifer was the first to break the silence with a question that nearly made Alastor choke on his food. Charlie’s eyes widened and she forgot how to brain as her father asked:

“So, when do you two think you’ll have kids?”

~~~

“Angel, what the hell happened to you?!” cried Venna as she rushed to his side. The spider in question swiped at her.

“Back off, _gattina!_ ”

“Angel!”

Standing at the top of the stairs was Vaggie, and she looked incredibly unhappy.

“Venna, get him onto a couch and go get a first aid kit,” instructed Vaggie as she descended. Venna nodded and hoisted Angel up despite his complaints and caught one of his hands in her claws when he attempted to smack her away.

“ **Stop bitching and cooperate!** ” she snapped. Something about that seemed to reverberate in Angel’s mind; he felt compelled to listen, and he meekly did as he was told. When Venna had him positioned on the couch, she dusted off her skirt and headed off to find the first aid kit as instructed.

“That was. Weird,” remarked Vaggie, gently inspected Angel’s injuries. She glanced at his face and found that he seemed to be dazed. She carefully shook his shoulder to snap him out of it, and he shook his head.

“What happened? How the fuck did I end up on the couch?”

“You don’t remember? Venna moved you here,” answered Vaggie. Angel rubbed his head.

“I don’t. I just remember telling her to back off, and then everything went hazy, and now I’m here,” he said.

When Vaggie moved his coat, she let out a small gasp.

Angel had a gaping laceration along his abdomen, and it looked nasty. Husk approached and frowned.

“The fuck happened?”

“Got into a fight with Val,” said Angel bitterly.

“You’ve got to get away from him, Angel,” said Vaggie in a soft voice. Angel turned his face away from her.

“I can’t. He’ll find me. He always does. What’s the point of trying to run away if all it does is get me…like this?” He motioned to the wound that was still bleeding quite badly. Vaggie sighed and patted his hand.

“I get it. But do you remember what you told Venna? That she’d be safe here because Charlie and Alastor are protecting this place?”

“Yeah?”

“That extends to you, too. And you’re wrong if you don’t think I’ll protect you too. You might be an annoying asshole, but you’re _my_ annoying asshole,” she said with a light chuckle. Angel cracked a small smile.

“It’s still not something I can do easily. He’ll definitely start targeting the hotel if I try to leave. Plus, how am I supposed to earn any cash? It ain’t like there’s honest work in Hell,” he said. Vaggie nodded and sighed.

“Hell itself isn’t really built for redemption. But there’s always the possibility that you can do work around the hotel. God knows that Charlie needs help; this place is massive.”

“Ain’t that why we got Niffty and Husk? And you help her all the time, too,” he countered. Vaggie tilted her head.

“You don’t think there’s anything you could do around here?”

“Vags, I got a real specific set of skills, none of which are conducive to me redeeming myself. I appreciate the effort you’re puttin’ in, but I don’t really think I have an option,” he said.

“Well, for now, let’s get you patched up. Can’t have you bleeding out in the lobby,” said Vaggie in a matter-of-fact tone. Angel didn’t have the energy to argue with her, and simply accepted her packing and bandaging his wound once Venna returned with the first aid kit.

For a brief moment, Angel considered apologizing to her for swiping at her, but he figured he could do it later. She seemed pretty pissed off.

He instead opted shut his eyes and let Vaggie work. Stirring the pot would be a bad idea.

“I’m going to clean up this blood!” said Niffty cheerfully. As she set to work, she turned away from Husk and Venna and gave a small frown. Something about this didn’t feel right. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Fortunately, cleaning blood took a bit of elbow grease, and she was able to focus on that as opposed to the building sense of anxiety filling the room.

She hoped Alastor and Charlie would return soon. The looming sense of dread was palpable – even Husk seemed to be on edge.

“You don’t think that they’re gonna follow Angel, do you?” asked Niffty, turning to Vaggie as she absently wiped up Angel’s blood. Vaggie shook her head.

“I hope not, but with our luck, they will. And without Alastor and Charlie to protect the hotel, I don’t know how long we can hold them off,” she said, stroking Angel’s fluff of hair. He gave a weak cough.

“I doubt Val himself will follow me, but he might send some of his goons out. Or Vox or Velvet might come in his stead. I can’t be sure,” he said, wincing as he sat up. Vaggie lightly slapped his chest.

“Don’t move. You need to heal.”

“You know we heal fast, Vags. Gimme twenty minutes, and I’ll be fightin’ fit,” he protested. Vaggie sighed and parked herself next to him on the couch, and he lazily draped his legs across her lap.

“It’ll be okay. Al and Charlie will be back before ya know it, and anyone who tries anything will have to deal with them,” he tried to assure her. She let out another sigh and looked at him, her eye full of worry.

Meanwhile, Husk sat at the bar with a pensive expression on his face. He didn’t like it when he had to do things. He _hated_ having to do things. He considered the idea of the hotel being attacked. Angel Dust, as obnoxious as he was, would need to be protected most of all. Damage to the hotel could easily be repaired, although Alastor would give him an earful.

He knew Vaggie was no stranger to combat, and that she could likely hold her own. He himself was a fairly powerful demon in his own right, and Niffty’s agility would keep her out of harm’s way. If Angel did manage to heal as fast as he claimed, he would likely be at the ready with all six of his arms wielding all manner of weaponry. Husk had to admit, Angel was certainly talented in that regard.

Husk then looked at the smaller feline, sitting next to him with an unreadable expression on her face. She reached up to fuss at the ribbon in her hair, but she recoiled as though she’d been burned. He didn’t know how used to fighting she was, but he did know that Alastor had whispered a piece of advice to him earlier.

“ _If something happens, remove her hair ribbon_ ,” he had said. Husk realized that it was likely that Alastor had used that ribbon as a sort of nullifier – she couldn’t remove it herself, but Husk could.

The suffocating silence was broken by Vaggie as she stood up, moving Angel’s legs.

“Whatcha doin’?” asked Angel.

“Turning out the lights. I don’t want to draw attention to the hotel tonight. Everyone head back to your rooms and stay there until Al and Charlie get back, okay?” She looked at everyone, and they nodded. She switched off the lobby lights, and guided Angel to his room.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” she asked. He nodded.

“Bein’ alone sounds pretty garbage right now.” Vaggie was inclined to agree.

Husk stood up, pulling Venna along with him.

“Come on, sweets. You want me to stick with you?” he asked. Vanna nodded, noting that his claws had lingered on her paw for a moment.

“Y-yes. Please.”

Niffty cheerfully piped up.

“If anyone needs me, I’ll be reading in my room!” she said cheerfully. She was content to relax for the night in her room; she was unfazed by a potential threat, figuring that an actual attack was unlikely. For all the tension she had felt earlier, she had realized that most demons already knew that Alastor was involved with the hotel, and subsequently had a feeling that no one would attack. After all, they likely didn’t know that Charlie and Al were out, and anyone with two brain cells to rub together knew not to fuck with him.

Of course, Valentino’s underlings didn’t necessarily have two brain cells to rub together, and no one noticed the eyes peering into the darkened, locked down hotel.

~~~

In the limo, Charlie and Alastor sat close to one another, both wearing the same stunned expression that hadn’t slipped since Lucifer asked his question. Charlie had a faintly shaken smile on her face, while Alastor wore a wide, strained grin.

Alastor in particular was having a difficult time wrapping his head around the question. Up until spending time around Charlie for the last seven months, he hadn’t been interested in romance at all, much less having kids of his own. He hadn’t even considered the notion until Lucifer sprang it on the pair, and he found his thoughts troubled. It wasn’t as though he disliked them – in life he had made a point of refusing to harm children, and while he wasn’t as great with them as Husk was, he knew how to interact with and nurture them. But parenting was another question altogether.

And that didn’t even factor in the requisite activity for making a child. He had exactly zero experience in that department. As with romance, he simply hadn’t felt a need for it. Besides, it was messy, and involved so much touching and sweating.

“You two are awfully quiet,” remarked Lucifer, absolutely reveling in Alastor’s discomfort. Charlie shot an irritated look his way.

“You did kind of spring a huge question on us right after arranging our marriage. We weren’t even together in an official capacity before this!” she said with a snippy tone. Alastor would have frowned, but he wasn’t about to show any weakness in front of Lucifer. He couldn’t deny that he was just a bit crestfallen at what Charlie said, although he supposed there was some truth to what she said. He supposed that he had been viewing Charlie as “his” even before they had kissed.

“Well, Angel-face, you need to consider it. At some point, you’ll ascend the throne, and you’ll need a little heir or heiress,” chided Lucifer. Charlie groaned.

“Dad, we both know you and Mom aren’t going anywhere soon. Why do you seem so adamant about this?”

“Your father wants grandbabies,” said Lilith. Charlie smacked a hand to her forehead, and Alastor had made the same face he did when Angel had first offered to suck his dick. The screech of radio feedback sounded as well, making Charlie jump a bit. Lilith shot him an annoyed look, while Lucifer raised his eyebrow, obviously amused.

“Sir, perhaps it would be prudent to wait until after the wedding takes place,” said Alastor, attempting to mollify his darling Charlie’s temper. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed, and she relaxed her shoulders a bit.

Lucifer shrugged, acting dismissive.

“Fine, fine. You two are safe until the minute you both say ‘I do.’”

Charlie glanced out the window and whipped her head around to speak to her parents.

“This isn’t the way back to the hotel,” she said. Alastor raised an eyebrow.

“We’re heading to the palace for tonight.”

“Dad, no, Al and I need to get back to the hotel! We didn’t let them know we’d be out _all_ night!” she said, her voice rising in concern.

“They’re all adults, I’m sure they can manage.”

“What if the hotel is attacked?” she countered.

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

Charlie’s eyes widened, and Alastor sat back. There was only so much he could do to settle her without earning her ire as well, and he wasn’t about to let himself get caught in the crossfire.

The rest of the ride was silent, and Alastor could feel the rage simmering off of his betrothed. She was doing well at masking it, save for the fact that her fingers were tightly twisted in the fabric of the skirt of the dress she’d changed into before heading to dinner, and her jaw seemed to be clenched tightly. Upon their arrival at the Magne’s palatial estate, they were greeted by a polite imp who hurriedly escorted them to the private family parlor.

Alastor tried to take a moment to take in the grandeur of the foyer, but the imp maid seemed rather adamant about hurrying everyone into the parlor.

Lilith was already seated next to her daughter; she was attempting to soothe her temper, but her outrage overpowered any sort of platitudes that her parents could throw at her.

Alastor, however, seemed to be able to comfort her a bit, sitting next to her and tucking her against his side. He laced his clawed fingers with hers, noting how small and delicate they were. Everything about her seemed small and delicate, like she was a porcelain doll.

But porcelain dolls didn’t become fired up the way she did, nor did they usually have horns peeking ever so slightly out of their blonde hair, threatening to bare themselves.

Lucifer hadn’t been expecting the overt display of protectiveness from the normally cavalier demon before him, but he still took it with a grain of salt – it could have simply been an act. In the back of his mind, he supposed that he ought to at least give Alastor some slack.

Maybe.

“I need to go back to the hotel,” said Charlie flatly.

“Are you telling me the sinners there can’t defend themselves without the two of you?”

“They can, but they shouldn’t have to! We literally just brought in a girl who has only been here for a few days!” she said, scowl deepening.

“This is Hell, Charlotte! If they had wanted to enjoy a peaceful afterlife, they wouldn’t have ended up down here in the first place!” said Lucifer, clearly agitated. Charlie turned away from her father, clearly too angry to speak. She instead opted to bury her face into Alastor’s side.

“Darling, if you’d like, we can make sure to keep Razzle and Dazzle there, and have them report back if something is amiss,” said Lilith, leaning forward to stroke Charlie’s hair.

“How are we supposed to get there in time-“

“I can handle that part,” said Alastor. Charlie gave him a pleading look.

“Al, can you take us there now?”

“Don’t you dare,” warned Lucifer.

Alastor’s grin widened to a wicked degree. Charlie’s eyes pleaded; her worry was palpable. His smile fell just a bit, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Desperation on any other demon would have delighted him, and he initially tried to take amusement in hers, but he couldn’t.

“Angel-face, at least wait until you’ve gotten word that there’s a problem. The guests at your hotel should be fine.”

“If they’ll be fine, then so should we!” she retorted. Alastor felt his heart skip a beat. Watching Charlie butt heads with her father was strangely intoxicating. And she’d made a good point, besides!

“Charlie, please be reasonable, for once in your life!”

“Are you kidding me?!”

“Does it sound like I am?!”

“Dad, I’m well over 250 years old, I can handle this!”

“And I’m even older, and I don’t think you know what you’re getting into!”

“You always tell me not to take shit from other demons, and yet _here you are_ giving me no end of it!”

“Charlotte, Lucifer, that’s enough.” Lilith’s tone was even and graceful, betraying no anger, but the face that accompanied it was incredibly unamused.

“Sorry,” responded the squabbling duo sheepishly. She fixed her gaze on her husband but gave Charlie a withering side-eye.

“Charlie, why don’t you and your father go make some hot cocoa while we wait for a status update from your friends?” It may have been phrased as a question, but there was no doubt that it was an order. Charlie and Lucifer both bounced to their feet and hurriedly walked with their heads down to go do as Lilith said.

Alastor suddenly understood much more about where Charlie’s mannerisms came from, and he couldn’t help but chuckle affectionately.

“Now then! While those two go and think about what they’ve done, you and I are going to have a little chat, Radio Demon…”

~~~

A heavy, awkward silence filled the Magne family kitchen, punctuated by the soft clicks of their heels as they busied themselves with their hot cocoa quest.

Neither of them wanted to be the first to speak.

Lucifer glanced over at Charlie, and felt a slight pang upon seeing her angry, hurt expression.

A few more moments passed before he caved and spoke.

“Ahem…ah…that dress looks nice on you, sweetie.”

She gave him a side-eye that could only have been inherited from Lilith.

“Thanks. Al got it for me.” She knew it was a bit of a childish jab, but she was in a foul mood. Lucifer’s eyes narrowed, but he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. This wasn’t a battle he was in the mood to fight, and so he did not.

“Honey Crisp…I know you’re more capable than I’m giving you credit for.”

“What are you sa-“

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt! By that cheesy talk-show serial killer, or by any of those overlords. Your living on your own is infinitely more dangerous when a coup is brewing!”

“Dad, I-“

“I don’t say it often enough, but I do love you,” he said, gently placing his finger against her lips. She gave him an annoyed expression, displeased at being interrupted a second time.

“I’ll let you and Alastor return to the hotel. But you have to promise me that you’ll stay safe. If someone is attacking, don’t hesitate, and don’t show mercy,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She tucked her head beneath his chin and rested her cheek on his chest, closing her eyes in relief. The interruption could be forgiven this time, she supposed.

“I love you too, Daddy.”

A soft laugh floated in as Lilith warmly observed her family.

“Lili! What are you doing here? I thought you were talking with Alastor?” questioned Lucifer, reaching his hand out to pull Lilith into what was now a group hug.

“Yes. I’ll tell you when we head to bed, darling.”

Charlie basked in the warmth of her parents for a moment before feeling a tug at her pant leg. She looked down only to see a frantic looking Razzle and Dazzle.

“Something is wrong. We have to go! Now!” Charlie scrambled to her feet; her face determined despite the anxiety blooming in her stomach. She darted back to the parlor where Alastor stood, ears perked up and arms extended.

“Hotel, hotel, go, go, go, go!” She tucked herself against him and took a breath as they dropped into the shadows, swiftly moving toward the hotel.

Lucifer walked into the parlor just as Charlie and Alastor vanished into the shadows, and he let out a somewhat exasperated sigh.

“You left your cocoa.”

~~~

Venna sat in her sparsely decorated room, curled up in a corner with her completely fluffed tails tucked close to her. Her ears flicked anxiously, and she looked ready to go feral with anxiety. The only thing standing between her and outright panic was Husk holding her to his chest, wings around both of them.

“I heard them, Husk, I swear I did!” she whispered.

“I did too. Sounds like they broke a window to get in,” he murmured, keeping his ears focused on the sounds of the intruders.

“Your room would be likely to be checked first,” mused Venna. Husk’s ear twitched, and he motioned for her to continue her train of thought.

“That means we have a few minutes to maybe ambush them. Cause enough of a ruckus to alert the others.”

“That plan is shit,” Husk grumbled. Venna ran her claws through her hair anxiously and jerked her paw away from the ribbon.

“This stupid fucking danger ribbon needs to stop,” she hissed. Husk paused.

“Maybe that plan of yours ain’t as shit as previously stated.”

“What are you-“ She found herself pushed forward as the door to her room was kicked down. Suddenly, she felt Husk’s claws on her scalp; then a gentle tug. She turned to look at Husk, only to see him grinning a grin that could rival even Alastor’s in its wickedness.

In his claws was a pinstriped, crimson ribbon.

~~~

Vaggie practically leapt out of her skin when she heard a bloodcurdling shriek coming from the direction of Venna’s room. It was an awful, distorted, high pitched wail that made the hair on the back of Vaggie’s neck stand up. Angel sat up and winced.

“What the fuck was that?!”

“I don’t know, but it sounded horrifying,” replied Vaggie as she readied a spear. Angel tested his healing wound and found it stable enough to get him back in the fight.

“Did you hear that weird slithering sound?” he asked, pulling out a pair of submachine guns. Vaggie nodded. Whatever was happening, it couldn’t have been good.

He and Vaggie sprang into the hallway only to find the walls, ceiling, and even floors covered in long, undulating tendrils of dark hair.

“What in the nine circles…”

“Is this _hair_?! Why is there so much hair?!” Angel took a step back, confusion and disgust spreading over his features. Vaggie inspected a lump pressed to the wall, tangled in what seemed to be a cocoon.

She could swear it seemed to be breathing. She ran her spear into it and retracted it upon hearing an agonized cry from within; blood covered the blade of her spear. An outraged shout caught Vaggie’s attention as Angel found his weaponry yanked from his grasp.

“Hey! Those ain’t yours, you fuckin’ hairball!” His cocky attitude was rewarded with what almost seemed like a ribbon of hair slapping him hard enough to knock him against a wall. Not one to be curbed by a simple slap, he shook it off, pulled out a knife, and began trying to cut his weapons loose.

“Husk! Venna! Where are you?!” Vaggie called. Husk’s muffled voice seemed to come from Venna’s room.

“I’m fine!”

Stepping out from the shadows came Alastor and Charlie, both of whose eyes widened at the chaos they had walked into.

“What is happening?!” Charlie tentatively reached forward to touch the slowly curling and uncurling locks. Surprisingly, they were quite soft to the touch, although Charlie wasn’t prepared for them to start snaking up her arm, constricting aggressively. She jerked her arm back before it could be completely engulfed. Vaggie rushed to Charlie’s side, slashing at the tendril that seemed to be hellbent on cocooning Charlie.

Unfortunately, that only seemed to make things worse. The hair now snatched at her knife, trying to wrench the offending blade from her grasp while wrapping around her ankles. Charlie repeatedly had to burn at the strands to keep them off of her, and the scent of burning hair filled the air. Vaggie tried her best to wriggle out of the tangled mess, but every motion seemed to make it worse.

“There are…demons…stuck in this,” she warned. Charlie clapped her hand to her mouth. Alastor’s ear flicked in surprise; he knew the small demon’s hair was aggressive when she felt threatened, but he didn’t realize the extent to which it could go.

Oh, this was _simply delightful._

“Husker, my friend, if you would please disarm our little security system?” called Alastor. Charlie lifted her eyes to the crimson clad demon, a bit surprised to see his face completely unbothered as he casually strolled through the dark tresses. It was as though the sight was so mundane that it barely even warranted his attention. Angel gingerly stepped closer to Charlie and Vaggie, taking great care not to agitate whatever the source of this was while attempting to untangle Vaggie, and the three tried to focus on restoring some semblance of sanity to the night, despite Vaggie being tangled like a moth in a spider’s web and Charlie occasionally popping off a small fireball to keep the hair from getting too touchy-feely with her.

Charlie could swear that she heard Husk speaking reassurances in a low, cajoling voice. Eventually, the hair began to recede, and an exhausted Venna dropped from near the ceiling and into Husk’s waiting arms.

A small cadre of demons also dropped onto the ground, some gasping for breath, others bleeding from vicious lacerations; some even had holes bored straight into them as though they’d been impaled.

Alastor surveyed the damage, completely tickled at the carnage the girl had caused. He knelt down and lifted one bleeding demon by the throat.

“Oh dear, it seems we have some unwelcome guests, my love!” he practically sang to Charlie, his eyes slowly shifting as his antlers expanded.

“Al, wait.”

He paused, giving her an amused stare.

“Don’t kill them. Please. If not for my sake, then for the sake of not getting hit with a feather duster by Niffty,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. He rolled his eyes, but he decided to indulge her. It was hard to say no to those pleading eyes, anyway.

Instead of killing them, he opted to have their limp, groaning forms tossed into a dumpster out back, then asked Niffty to make sure she dropped any garbage that she’d collected in the hotel into the dumpster as well. One he spared from this treatment, instead leaning uncomfortably close to his face to speak.

“I do hope we won’t have another incident like this, my good fellow! Please do tell your employer that they can visit during regular business hours if they need to meet with me or my lovely fiancée,” he said, his grin widening. The small demon hastily scrambled away, not wanting to be anywhere near the Radio Demon or his evil, exploding cat.

Alastor dusted off his coat and headed back into the lobby where things had begun to settle down. Vaggie sat nestled into a corner on the couch with Angel’s legs once again casually draped over her lap. She looked to be trying to think of anything but what had just happened.

Charlie had fallen into a plush armchair, staring off into some unknown void.

Across from Vaggie and Angel sat Husk and Venna. The older demon seemed to be content to let his small companion doze on his lap.

Vaggie glanced over and finally cracked the smallest smile as she watched Venna struggling to stay cogent.

With a wave of his hand, the damage done by the intruders was repaired, with some slight alterations. The windows now seemed to have some sort of protective wards on them, and the symbols that usually floated around Alastor seemed to be woven into the windows.

“Let’s not have that again!” Alastor’s good mood was grating on everyone except Charlie, and he took a moment to enjoy the irritated looks he was earning.

Well, except for Charlie and Venna, although Venna’s lack of reaction was mostly from how drained she felt.

Niffty, who’d managed to nap through the entire debacle until Alastor had called upon her to help him with their “garbage” was now up and bringing steamed milk to the group of worn out demons.

“I had no idea that Venna was that destructive!” she said delightedly. Charlie gratefully took a mug of the drink Niffty had brought, pleased that it had also been infused with peppermint.

A calm silence fell over the group as they nursed the soothing drinks that the petite cyclops had so thoughtfully prepared.

Charlie finally yawned and stretched, satisfied that the hotel was likely safe for the night. Even if it was attacked again, she and Alastor were now both present and able to respond immediately.

She swayed sleepily and tried to suppress another yawn.

“Oh, my sweet, sleepy girl. Let’s get you off to bed,” said Alastor reaching out to help her up. She looped his arm through his as if it were the most natural thing in the world and leaned against his lanky frame.

“I’m going to deliver our lovely princess to her room for some well-deserved shuteye! I suggest you all do the same,” he said. Vaggie nodded and elbowed the half-awake Angel Dust.

“Get up, I want go to bed,” she said curtly. Angel complained, but he did as he was asked. Vaggie pulled him up and gave him a push toward his room.

“You especially need to sleep. Off to bed,” she ordered. He scoffed but made no attempt to argue. He was just as wiped as she was.

That left the two cat demons. Niffty had already cleared away the mugs and turned in for the night.

“V.”

“Hey, V,” Husk tried again, nudging her sleeping form. She made a soft sound of acknowledgement.

“Come on, sweets. Let’s get you to bed,” he said, hoisting her up. She barely stirred.

“Alright, I know when someone’s down for the count. I’ll carry ya, but don’t get used to it,” he grumbled, carrying her off to her room. When he plopped her onto her bed, he felt the slightest tug on one of his feathers. He turned to see Venna softly mumbling.

“Don’t go.”

He groaned and dragged his clawed hand down his face.

Whatever, she was just asking for company for the sake of feeling secure. It wasn’t like she was coming onto him.

“Yeah, sure. Scoot over, I’ll crash with ya.”

~~~

Charlie had quickly changed into a comfortable pajama set and stepped into the bedroom of her suite. Alastor sat primly on the stool that sat in front of her vanity, and gave her a gentle smile. She approached him, and he pulled her into a relaxed embrace.

“I thought you’d have left to go get some sleep,” she said, absentmindedly tracing her fingertips along the stripes of his coat. He chuckled and let it continue, enjoying the gentle ministrations of the princess.

“I simply couldn’t leave not knowing that you were safely nestled in your bed,” he said gallantly. Charlie gave him a flat expression in return.

“In truth, I did want to spend a bit of time just…how do those young demons say it? ‘Vibing?’ Yes, that. I’d like to do that for a bit,” he stated. Charlie couldn’t help but giggle at that.

Alastor bit back a pleased sigh; Charlie’s laughter was the sweetest music.

“Would you like to join me here? I promise I won’t bite,” she teased. He raised an eyebrow and flashed a mischievous smirk before planting a hand on her mattress and looming over her.

“Is that so? Because I don’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This plot went from 0-100 really fast, and we ain't slowin' down. 
> 
> Just kidding, I'm giving you more slice of life next chapter.


	5. Purrst Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor really enjoys teasing Charlie. Vaggie continues to be the best moth mom. A challenger appears.

Charlie was certain that this was the closest she would ever get to heaven as Alastor held her down, nipping at whatever exposed skin he could just to hear what sounds he could elicit from her.

“A-Al, slow down, please?” she gasped as his teeth grazed a sensitive spot on her neck. He allowed himself to flop down next to her and idly played with a lock of her hair, not wanting to push her too far. She did seem a bit overwhelmed.

“So much has happened today,” she sighed, snuggling against him.

“Indeed! Why, I haven’t been this entertained since seeing your picture-show shenanigans, darling!”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked, raising an amused eyebrow as she pulled back to give him a questioning smirk. He kissed her forehead.

“All in good time, dearest. For now, just know that this,” he pressed her hand to his chest, where his heart seemed to race.

“…is completely new.”

Charlie had no idea what to say, so she responded by kissing him sweetly. He was more than happy to return it.

“I don’t want to rush you into anything, Al,” murmured Charlie against his lips. He playfully bit her lower lip in response.

“After all, we only just kissed for the first time today,” she mumbled.

“You aren’t rushing me at all, _ma précieuse biche.”_ The words were spoken without static, and his voice took on a seductive tone. Charlie hid her face in his chest.

“Speaking French to me is illegal,” she huffed. Alastor laughed and tilted her chin up so he could see the brilliant blush spreading across her face.

“ _J'étais un tueur en série, chérie. Je me fiche des lois,”_ he purred.

If Alastor hadn’t known any better, he would have said Charlie was short-circuiting. She just kept surprising him. She gripped his coat, gazing at him with a haze in her eyes. He wasn’t one hundred percent certain what to make of it, but it was certainly enticing. His own eyes were alight with something halfway between predatory desire and pure adoration, and he couldn’t resist sitting up and pulling Charlie with him. He positioned her so that she straddled his lap and began to trail small bites down her neck and collarbone. Her small gasps only spurred him on as he began to bite a bit harder.

“You are absolutely intoxicating, my sweet princess,” he said between bites. Occasionally he would run his tongue over the places where he’d drawn blood, and Charlie sighed into it.

“Oh, God, please don’t stop, Alastor!” Her voice seemed strained as she tried to hold back a soft moan.

“God isn’t here, so focus on me,” Alastor said, capturing her lips in an aggressive kiss. Charlie’s grip on him only tightened, and she took the initiative and bit at his lip, earning a gasp in reward for her efforts.

Oh, how sweet he tasted. The slightest metallic taste danced on her tongue as she deepened the kiss he’d started. Her hands slipped from the lapels of his coat and traveled up his back, finally reaching his hair. She was more than happy to tangle her fingers in the surprisingly soft locks and found that the occasional gentle tug only increased his fervor. He moaned into her mouth, almost imperceptibly.

“Oh my! I never took you as the masochistic type,” she teased as she pulled away from his face to catch her breath. His eyes narrowed at the challenge in her little statement, and he shifted his weight to pin her beneath him without warning.

“So you’ve discovered that little facet of my personality! But you seem to forget the more _dominant_ side,” he said with an absolutely wicked smile. He trailed his claws along her body, tracing an invisible line along her stomach, moving up between her breasts, and finally gently gripping her throat.

He lowered himself slightly, snaking his free arm around her shoulders to pull her close.

He swore that he could get drunk on her whimpers of pleasure as she gripped his back. Still, he refrained from tasting her lips again; he breathed against her, deliciously close and agonizingly far away at the same time.

Charlie whined a bit, desperate for more of him, and he responded with a darkly seductive order.

“Beg for me, Charlie.”

~~~

Angel jerked awake, his heart pounding in his chest. It took him a moment to get his bearings and remember that he was safe in his room, snuggled around Fat Nuggets. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to recall what had woken him, and realized that he’d heard crying from down the hall. It seemed to have subsided for the time being, but it had unsettled him to his core.

Molly would occasionally cry like that when she had bad dreams. During those times, he would crawl into his twin’s bed and pat her back until she settled down enough to sleep, and he would often find himself falling asleep alongside her.

He groaned and tried to drop back to sleep.

Angel occasionally found himself wide awake with his mind racing, but in an irritating way: instead of fluttering from thought to thought and maybe having some kind of revelation, it was like flicking through channels that were all just different types of static. The feeling of anxiety still sat coiled in the pit of his stomach, but it had no outlet. Additionally, the throbbing ache from his injury was starting to roar back to life.

Sighing, he nudged Fat Nuggets off to the other side of his bed, gave the pig a pat, and left his room, figuring at least one of the cats might be awake and tending the bar.

To his surprise, the lobby was just as dark as it had been when Vaggie had killed the lights. Only the faint glow of Alastor’s veve dancing in the windows illuminated the room.

“Fuckin’ Christ, this is creepy,” he grumbled, figuring that he could at least find a snack in the kitchen. He wasn’t about to leave the hotel to try to score anything in his condition.

He opened the door to the kitchen, and surprised not only himself, but the lone occupant as well.

“Angel? What are you doing up?” asked Vaggie. She didn’t look suspicious or even irritated; only curious. She had parked herself on the counter and was eating a small cup of yogurt – evidently Angel wasn’t the only one trying to distract himself from his insomnia.

“Eh, you know how it is. There’re just some nights when ya can’t sleep,” he said with a shrug as he reached into the fridge to swipe one of Vaggie’s yogurt cups. She gave him an annoyed look, but didn’t otherwise object. Late night yogurt was hardly a sin, after all.

“I know that life. You’d think after the night we’ve had, we’d both want to drop into sleep for the next week, but-“

“-There’s just something bugging ya, right?”

“Exactly. Why are we suddenly being targeted? You don’t think Alastor has anything to do with it, do you?” she asked. Angel shook his head.

“Val’s a coward at heart. I don’t think he’s gonna try to take on anyone who’s obviously more powerful than him.”

“Think he’s coming after you?” she asked, spoon still in her mouth.

“Doubt it. We don’t even know that it’s Val. For all we know, it could be that nutjob, Velvet.”

“Or that flatscreen fucker, Vox,” said Vaggie darkly.

Neither of them wanted to say the more uncomfortable probability out loud.

“So…how ya holdin’ up, Vags?”

Vaggie tilted her head at Angel with a wondering expression.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you’ve been put through the ringer lately, and I’m askin’ if you’re okay,” said Angel as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Vaggie sighed.

“I’m managing. Things have been hectic, and I know Charlie is trying her best to get more guests in the doors, but we’ve been at this for months, and so far it’s just you and the two that Alastor roped into this.”

“Two things: one, we have that weird hairball here too. And second, I asked about you, not Charlie,” said Angel, casually cutting through her deflection. Vaggie gave him a wry smile.

“These days, I seem to have a harder time finding a way to occupy my time. Charlie has been pulling double-time with outreach, but I handle managerial stuff, y’know? And there isn’t much for me to manage. Boredom isn’t good for me,” she said. Angel nodded, taking a seat on the floor.

“Sometimes it’s rough, y’know? Seeing Charlie making those sappy eyes at…that radio asshole. Things hadn’t been going well between us for a while, and do a degree, I prefer that we cut things off before we ended up hating each other, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still love and miss her,” she said, staring into her empty yogurt cup.

“No one ever said ya have to be all smiles about it. Breakups are shit! I think it’d be weirder if ya didn’t have some complex web a’ feelins all tangled up in ya,” replied Angel. Vaggie blinked in surprise.

“Really?”

“I’m a lot a’ things, Vags, but I ain’t about to steer ya wrong in this department. Your feelins are real,” he said nonchalantly. She gave him one of her rare little smiles before changing the subject.

“So, what woke you up, anyway? You were out cold when I went by to check on you earlier,” she asked.

“I swore I heard crying down the hall from my room. Near Husky’s room,” he answered. Vaggie’s eyebrow rose in surprise.

“Should we check in on him?”

“Couldn’t hurt!” said Angel, taking Vaggie’s finished cup and adding it to his own to toss in the trash. He dropped the spoons into the sink, and he and Vaggie turned out the kitchen light and made their way to the first-floor hallway, then up the stairs to the second floor.

“Since you and Charlie are plannin’ to use the second floor an up as resident suites, what’re ya gonna do with the first floor?” he asked.

“Charlie wants to use them as offices for private therapy sessions and administrative stuff. I’m actually supposed to be moving my stuff down to one of them tomorrow. The office I’ve been using was always meant to be temporary,” she explained.

“Therapy, huh? Never put much thought into it,” Angel mused. Vaggie chuckled lightly.

“Who knows! You give pretty good advice; maybe you’ll have a knack for counseling,” she teased. Angel tilted his head thoughtfully.

“You might be onto somethin’ there. Plus, wouldn’t it like…give me somethin’ to do that ain’t turnin’ tricks?”

“Look at you taking initiative for a positive thing. Charlie must be rubbing off on you.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t buy this redemption shit, but it could be nice to not spend my time cooped up in a studio or suckin’ creeps off for shitty pay,” he said darkly. Vaggie fell silent. She related a bit too much to that.

Soon enough, they reached Husk’s room and gently knocked at the door. Only silence greeted the two insomniacs.

“He’s probably out cold,” said Angel with a yawn. Vaggie nodded.

“Let’s check on Venna, and then I think it’s time for us to turn in. Don’t worry about having to wake up early tomorrow, I think we’re all gonna be wiped. Consider it an easy day,” said Vaggie, also yawning.

Angel knocked on Venna’s door and listened closely.

There was a tiny sob, and it went quiet after a moment.

“Kitten must be havin’ a nightmare,” said Angel. Vaggie frowned.

“Her door is unlocked. Should we go in?” asked Angel, testing the knob. Vaggie’s jaw dropped.

“Angel, that’s a major invasion of her privacy!”

“It’s just to make sure she’s safe, right?” he cajoled. Vaggie glared.

“Absolutely not. I’m going to have no part of this. I’m going to bed, and you should too,” she ordered. Angel rolled his eyes, but started toward his room as Vaggie went up to the third floor where her suite was located. The moment she was gone, Angel turned and slipped into Venna’s suite. Certainly, it was nosey, and it was a major invasion of privacy, but Angel’s curiosity outweighed his sense of ethics. And if Vaggie was serious about him counseling other clie- guests, he figured it would be good to get a feel for who they were. In the future, he supposed he would just knock and ask to hang out, but surely exceptions could be made.

He wasn’t surprised to see that it was a pretty spartan space. On the side table near the couch sat a small box with a key in it, but aside from that, it was only the furniture provided by the hotel. The doors separating her bedroom from the living space were shut tightly, but they were glass, and only covered with red curtains; easily peeked through, and Angel was able to see just past the curtains of her four-poster bed to find Venna tucked into a ball, sleeping soundly.

What stunned him was seeing Husk’s very distinct tail curled around her. It flicked occasionally, but Angel could tell he was fast asleep too. A mischievous smile formed on his face, as if he were plotting all kinds of blackmailing schemes, and he slipped out of her room, only to smack right into Vaggie.

“Seriously? I told you to go to bed!” she hissed as Angel shut Venna’s door.

“I wanted to make sure she was okay! And I thought you already left!” he argued. Vaggie pinched the bridge of her nose and glared up at him.

“Just when I thought you were a decent person,” she grumbled. Angel huffed at that.

“Caring about another person’s well-being is a redeemin’ quality!” he said indignantly.

“Not when you’re waltzing into the room of a girl that we only met a few days ago so you can peek into her life!” snapped Vaggie. Angel rolled his eyes.

“What life? I dunno if you’ve seen her room, but she ain’t got shit aside from some weird box near her couch!”

Vaggie paused at this, and then an idea formed in her head.

“Angel, you wanna make up for being a nosey bastard?”

~~~

“Alastor, please!” Charlie begged, clawing at the wicked demon’s back.

“Very polite, darling, but I do believe I told you to beg for me,” he purred. His fingers were lightly tracing over the contours of her body, occasionally stopping to lightly claw at whatever pale flesh she had exposed.

He decided he was quite fond of these pajamas of hers. The shorts were cut high on her thighs, and he was able to claw and squeeze to his heart’s content.

“Tell me what you want, my dearest,” he said. She wiggled a bit.

“I want you. All of you. I want you to show me how much you want me,” she said shyly. His grin faded to an affectionate smile, and he lightly booped her nose.

“How can I say no to such a sweet request? It’s not begging, but it’ll do for now,” he teased. His hand trailed up her thigh and he gave her butt a playful squeeze, and Charlie yelped in response.

“You want me to show you how much I want you?” he asked as he buried his face in her neck to bite and lick at the base. She let out a soft moan and writhed against him, desperate to feel all of him at once.

“How can I show you that I want you when I already have you _right in my grasp_?”

He dug his claws into her thigh, drawing blood.

“Fuck, Alastor, m-more, please!” she begged. Alastor was delighted.

“That’s right, my darling doe,” he said sweetly before his antlers grew and the dials in his eyes made their appearance.

“Look only at me, Charlie. I want those moans and sighs to be mine, and mine alone. _You_ are mine,” he growled as he slid his hand around to the small of her back and pulled her hips closer to his own. To his surprise, even in his more aggressive form, Charlie lovingly placed a hand to his cheek.

“Oh, Al. They were yours the moment you kissed me,” she said.

Those words were music to the Radio Demon’s ears, and he bit down on her shoulder. Charlie shuddered as he followed this by lapping at the blood he’d drawn. She responded in kind, raking her nails down his back and biting his neck hard enough to break the skin.

She hadn’t even noticed her sclerae shifting to red, nor had she noticed her horns on full display. She only knew that Alastor’s teeth, tongue, and claws seemed to set her skin ablaze, and she was aching with want, and she craved more.

She wanted to claim him as hers, but in the back of her mind, she knew it was too soon for that, and she didn’t want to spook Alastor. 

Ah, the trials of being half succubus.

He seemed to be getting ahold of himself, realizing the position he’d found himself in. He was in uncharted territory, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t hesitant to consummate their soon-to-be marriage early.

“Alastor…I want you. I want to feel you inside of me, so badly. But if you’re not ready, that’s okay,” she said gently, reining in her desires. He laid down, resting his head on her chest to listen to her racing heart.

“Please don’t misunderstand, darling. It’s not that I don’t want to, but rather. Ah…well, as you’re already aware, there are…certain things a gentleman should observe when courting his intended,” he said lightly. Charlie couldn’t help but smile; his old-fashioned ways were incredibly endearing.

“Rest assured, Charlotte Magne. I fully intend to claim you as my own.” Charlie smirked mischievously.

“All good things to those who wait,” she teased. Alastor gave her an affectionate nuzzle.

“Alas! I find myself far too exhausted to make my way to my room. Whatever shall I do?” he asked with an overly dramatic hand to his forehead and a wink.

Charlie rolled her eyes and pushed Alastor off of her with a laugh.

“Throw on some pajamas and get under the covers with me. It’s cold tonight,” she invited.

“Ah, my dear mother would be scandalized to see me sharing a bed with a woman I’m not married to,” he observed as he snapped his fingers. His usual attire was replaced by crimson and black pajamas. Upon further inspection, Charlie noted that they were silk. How very bougie of him!

Alastor gracefully slipped beneath the blankets and rolled onto his side so he could face Charlie.

“I have to admit, I’m a bit surprised that you sleep at all,” she said, stifling a yawn.

“Truthfully, I don’t usually! But tonight is a special case,” he said as he gently pulled Charlie flush against his chest.

“Mm…I feel like I could sleep for the next week,” she said, closing her eyes. Alastor ran his claws gently through her hair until her breathing became even and deep. Once she was asleep, it wasn’t long before he found his own eyes drooping.

Finally, sleep had fallen over the hotel.

~~~

Niffty was the first to wake up, and she had been cheerfully zipping around with a cleaning cloth for a solid hour before Vaggie stumbled down the stairs still in her pajamas.

“Afternoon, Vaggie! You’re the first one up, which is surprising! I expected Charlie to be the first, but I guess she must be pretty tired,” chattered Niffty.

“How are you so monstrously energetic after last night?” groaned Vaggie.

“Well, I did sleep through most of it, to be fair! After all, Alastor didn’t wake me up until he needed me to pull clean-up duty! After all, a lady needs her beauty sleep! Or in my case, cutie sleep!” giggled the cyclops.

“I’m gonna go start some coffee, you want any?” asked Vaggie.

“Sure, thanks Vaggie!”

Vaggie pondered the ramifications of giving Niffty caffeine, but she figured Niffty was an adult, and could make her own decisions. After starting the coffee, she poured herself a bowl of cereal and hopped onto the counter. She supposed she should really sit at the table, but honestly, it was a small vice.

Angel was the second to make his way downstairs, followed by Husk. Angel yawned, but he perked up when he smelled coffee brewing.

“There you two are! Vaggie’s making coffee! Did you sleep well?” asked Niffty, rolling back onto her heels.

“Eh, as well as you could have after a bullshit night like that,” said Angel. Husk grumbled quietly.

“I slept fine. I’m gonna go get some coffee.”

Angel followed suit, and upon obtaining his caffeine, he draped his legs over the arm of what was quickly becoming his favorite couch in the lobby.

“Rainin’ again? Damn,” he said with a sigh. He wasn’t a fan of rainy days given his line of work.

Although he was seriously considering Vaggie’s suggestion. Being able to work in a warm office on rainy days instead of working in the cold was pretty damn appealing. And it wasn’t like he needed to worry about paying rent, or giving all of his money to Valentino.

That was the most appealing of all.

“Why hello my dear deviant! I wanted to speak with you about a private matter!”

“Fuckin’ Christ, dude, don’t just pull up outta nowhere, I nearly shivved ya!” snapped Angel. Alastor chuckled.

“Ahaha, you’re such a character, Angel! But really, I must speak to you.”

“Well, it ain’t like I’m doin’ anything today. What do ya want, Smiles?”

“Well you see, I wanted to ask you what it feels like to be high!” said Alastor pleasantly. Angel nearly choked on his coffee.

“The fuck? Why you wanna know about shit like that?” he asked.

“Curiosity for curiosity’s sake!”

“You’re a fuckin’ weirdo, y’know that?” Angel remarked. Alastor nodded.

“A-anyway, imagine ya thoughts floatin’ in a cloud, and ya stop being aware of your limbs, and it’s nice, cause problems don’t seem so big when you’re outta your own body,” said Angel in a low voice.

“Does it make you feel like your heart might burst, and you get this fluttery sensation in your stomach?” asked Alastor impatiently. Angel stared at him in silence.

“Hello? Is this thing on?” asked Alastor as he tapped his microphone a few times.

“Yeah, yeah, I heard ya! Smiles, ya know ya just described a crush?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“A crush, like that thing Husk has on Venna,” said Angel, loudly enough to catch said cat’s attention. He flipped off the spider.

“Fuck off, I’ve known her for like, 4 days.”

Angel smirked; Husk may have kept his cool, but the porn star was certain he knew better.

“Speaking of which, where is the little furball?” asked Angel.

“She was dead asleep when I last…uh. Saw her” answered Husk clumsily.

“The little lady is probably bushed after last night’s excitement! But Angel, elaborate in a way that actually makes sense, would you?”

“A crush is like…somewhere between ‘like’ and ‘love’ like…like a middle-ground,” he explained.

“Angel, I meant what are you trying to say?” clarified Alastor, looking irritated.

“Oh. I’m sayin’ it sounds like you’re crushin’ on Charlie,” he said casually. Alastor scoffed.

“I would hardly describe my feelings for her as that simple.”

“Fine, you’re sweet on her.”

“V called you a ‘smitten kitten’ the other day,” remarked Husk.

“Oh, she’s one to talk, callin’ anyone else kitten,” laughed Angel. Husk shrugged and continued drinking his coffee.

“I suppose the girl has it more accurate than a crush, though I can’t say I’m a fan of the phraseology,” deadpanned Alastor. He’d have to get her back for that one.

When Vaggie stepped out of the kitchen, she waved at the group.

“Consider today a day off. Take it easy. Read, watch TV, whatever, just don’t get into any trouble,” she said, heading back upstairs.

“Where are you goin’?” asked Angel.

“I’m going to go sleep longer and then marathon whatever looks interesting on Voxflix,” she said. Angel could respect that. He’d probably spend his day watching some kind of trash TV in the lobby until Husk or Alastor yelled at him to turn it off, and after that, he figured he’d nap. Whatever he did after was anyone’s guess.

Husk was already starting on his plan for the day, which was to drink, fall asleep, play at the slot machine Alastor had brought over with him, and drink some more.

It was around then that Charlie cheerfully walked into the room, dressed for the day.

“Hey everyone! How are we all feeling?” she asked.

“Exhausted.”

“Dead inside.”

“That’s. Um. Fair. It’s a good thing today is a relaxation day!” she said sweetly before heading off to have a bowl of cereal.

“My darling, you aren’t planning on having that cold cereal that everyone insists on eating, are you?” asked Alastor, following her as she tried to tell him not to worry about it.

“Hah. Gross, ain’t it?” remarked Angel. Husk nodded.

As the afternoon went on, Angel got up and yawned, making his way to his room to take a nap. Husk was fast asleep at the bar, and Charlie, after Alastor had managed to cook her breakfast, was asking her dear fiancé if he’d be willing to help her put Husk to bed.

“It can’t be good for him to sleep like that, can it?” she wheedled.

“Ah, yes, well if he didn’t want neck problems, he wouldn’t fall asleep at the bar now, would he?” he chortled.

“Al, come on, just help me carry hi-“

Charlie found herself interrupted by a knock and glared, partly because she was very fed up with being interrupted constantly. Still, she put on a smile and brightly answered the door.

“Good evening, Princess!”

It seemed that everyone was regretting opening the hotel doors these days, as this time Vox stood before her with a bouquet of flowers.

“Uh…hi, Vox,” she said, confusion evident on her face.

Upon hearing that, Alastor immediately teleported to her side.

“Ah, I see Grandpa Bambi is hanging around here. I was wondering where the usual carnage was,” remarked Vox coolly. Charlie glared, and Alastor chuckled darkly.

“What can we do for you on this lovely evening that you’ve spoiled with your presence?” asked Alastor, malice dripping from every word. Vox raised the hand that wasn’t holding the bouquet to signal that he wasn’t interested in a fight.

“Nothing destructive, I can assure you. I simply wanted to give these to our dear Princess,” said Vox, bowing dramatically and holding out the flowers. Charlie took them hesitantly.

“Um…thank you, but…why?”

“Well, Princess, I haven’t had the time to drop by and give you praise for that little stunt on the news a few months ago! You put on quite a show, darling!” he said brightly.

Alastor did not like this one bit. He knew that his position was solidified, but he found that Vox cheerfully prattling away to Charlie was filled his chest with an ice-cold contempt.

“So, Charlie dear, I was hoping that you’d be so kind as to accompany me to dinner sometime.”

The only reason Alastor hadn’t stepped in to gloat about his current standing with Charlie was simple, but aggravating. Information was power. Until the official announcement was made publicly, they would need to keep things very quiet. If word got out early, this situation would likely become more and more commonplace. For the other overlords, Charlie was a precious pawn; a weapon that could be used to target her father and disrupt the hierarchy of Hell. And Vox was a nasty piece of work; Velvet was at least up front about how absolutely nuts she was, and Valentino was completely unsubtle. But Vox was just as manipulative as Alastor.

He detested this.

“That’s very sweet of you, Vox, but I have to decline. I’m very busy running things here. I’m sure you understand,” she said, gracefully dodging his advance. Vox shrugged lightly.

“No rush, sweetheart. I get what you mean. Running a business isn’t an easy endeavor,” he said warmly, “By the way, if you need a bit of assistance, feel free to reach out. I’m sure we could work out some kind of deal.”

“Ah, yeah, no. I don’t do deals,” said Charlie firmly.

Alastor slid a hand behind her back to reassure her that he was ready to come to her defense at any moment, but he had to admit, watching her tell Vox where to go and how to get there was wildly attractive.

“Well, we could work out some form of arrangement,” said Vox quickly.

“I have that covered, thank you,” Alastor curtly cut in.

“Yes, yes, you can broadcast all you want over the airwaves, but you really should learn to appeal to the masses, Old Man,” said Vox with a smirk.

“Ha! No. My methods are plenty sufficient.”

Charlie’s expression was unreadable. She wore a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. It seemed less like a smile, and more like baring her teeth. Alastor couldn’t be prouder.

“Well, Vox, it seems that we’re approaching dinnertime, and I can’t keep my residents waiting. If that’s all you needed, I’ll be getting back to work,” she said.

“Very well, Princess. My offer still stands. Do consider it, won’t you?”

“We’ll see,” she said, still smiling coldly.

With a slight bow, Vox took her hand and pressed her knuckles to his screen in a strange attempt at a kiss. Charlie quickly withdrew her hand, and Vox left.

“I’m going to lock the hotel doors tonight,” she grumbled. Alastor nodded.

“I’m also going to go wash my hands in boiling water.”

“While I do approve of you washing your hands, I’d prefer you not damage them, darling.”

Charlie regarded the bouquet in her hands, and casually set it on fire.

“You were beautiful, by the by. I’ve never been quite so enthralled by watching someone be told off like that,” said Alastor as he rested his hands on Charlie’s hips.

“Thank you. I’d rather not have a repeat of that, though.”

“I agree! I believe I’m quite thoroughly creeped out!”

Charlie’s smile relaxed, and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss her fiancé.

"There's no one I'd rather be with than you, Alastor," she said before leaving to wash her hands and toss the burnt bouquet. 

The Radio Demon chuckled lightly to himself.

"Ahh...I'm in danger."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vox, stop being a weirdo.   
> Al, your yandere side is showing, behave yourself. (I guarantee he Will Not.)
> 
> *ma précieuse biche - my precious doe  
> *J'étais un tueur en série, chérie. Je me fiche des lois - I was a serial killer, honey. I don't care about laws.


	6. Absitively Paws-olutely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaggie truly is best girl. Niffty has a great day. The Magne family makes a big announcement, and Alastor gets dunked on by Lucifer. And Rosie. And Mimzy.

“So…you’re betrothed. To Alastor.”

“Yes.”

Vaggie stared, completely stunned.

“Don’t you think you’re rushing things, hon?” she asked worriedly. Charlie shook her head.

“It’s not like that. It’s an arranged marriage,” she explained. Vaggie sighed and let her cheek rest on her palm.

“That explains why your parents came over a few days ago,” she said softly.

Charlie had expected some sort of fiery but short outburst from Vaggie, but she was relieved to see that the moth demoness wasn’t angry, although she was certainly concerned.

“I wanted to tell you first. I haven’t told anyone else at the hotel,” said Charlie with her eyes downcast. Vaggie gave her an affectionate smile and lightly tapped Charlie’s nose.

“I’m not mad, Charlie. Well. Okay, no, I’m annoyed, but honestly? I’d rather see you happy with that weirdo than some sleazebag like Seviathan, or Vox, or…” Vaggie and Charlie both shuddered a bit, both thinking of Valentino.

“Although Velvet is awfully cute,” mused Vaggie playfully. Charlie lightly swatted at her.

“She’s also awfully, absolutely, one thousand percent bonkers!”

A comfortable silence fell over the two; relaxing with one another came as naturally as breathing. Charlie was the first to break it as she took Vaggie’s hands in her own.

“Vaggie, can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“Will you be my maid of honor?”

~~~

Alastor cheerfully strode into the lobby, humming a light little tune as he did. He was stopped when he saw Charlie speaking to the little moth; not out of jealousy, but because of the absolutely stunning smile that lit up Vaggie’s face.

Good heavens, she was _precious_!

Alastor approached, wearing his usual grin, although it did seem to be genuine.

“Good morning, ladies! My, Vaggie, that smile is absolutely stunning! I hope you don’t mind if I ask what has you in such good spirits today?”

Surprisingly, Vaggie’s cheerful expression only faded a little bit.

“Charlie let me know about the two of you. She also asked me to be her maid of honor,” said Vaggie with a bit of pride tinting her tone of voice.

“Very fitting! And it does help me feel better knowing that Charlie will have extra support during this time,” he said. Vaggie gave him a skeptical look.

“Bold of you to assume I wouldn’t support her all the time,” she said. Alastor barked out a laugh.

“Oh dear, you really are too entertaining, Little Moth!”

Charlie playfully swatted at her betrothed.

“Alright! Time for me to get to work…oh shit.”

Alastor and Vaggie were both glaring at her as she realized what she said.

“Y’know, I think I heard Angel falling out of bed, I think I’ll go hang out with him today!” said Charlie, bouncing to her feet and quickly speeding away from the two.

Vaggie rolled her eye, but her expression was indulgent. Alastor lightly tapped her shoulder.

“I will take a moment to say this: I do genuinely appreciate that you’ve stayed by her side, even after your romantic relationship ended.”

“That’s what it means to love someone unconditionally. Charlie would have to start genuinely treating me terribly for me to leave her side. But the truth is, I know she wouldn’t, because _I_ wouldn’t,” said Vaggie softly. Alastor tilted his head a bit.

“You still love her?” he asked, eyes narrowed.

“Of course. Just because we aren’t dating doesn’t mean I don’t still love and treasure her. She is my best friend, after all,” she explained.

“Ah, love is confusing. Never really cared much for it while I was alive. I must say though, figuring it out is awfully entertaining!”

“You’re weird, Alastor.”

“Little Moth, you know you don’t have to always use my full first name. We are on cordial terms, after all.”

“Alright, alright. Just this once, you win, Al. Don’t get cocky though; I still don’t trust you. And if you hurt Charlie, I’ll ram an extermination spear so far up your ass that you’ll be using the blade to floss your teeth.”

Alastor burst out laughing, doubling over, shoulders shaking, and even tearing up a bit. He straightened himself up and patted his hair a bit.

“Ahh, Vaggie, you are a delight. I have no intention of ever hurting Charlie. She is…special. Truly one-of-a-kind.”

“Good. Cherish her.”

Vaggie gave him a barely visible smile, turned on her heel, and made her way to her temporary office to begin moving into her permanent spot.

Alastor thought on what Vaggie had said. The little lady was surprisingly in tune with her emotions; he supposed it made sense with her control freak tendencies. Still, the earnest way that she spoke was mystifying.

Normally, he would have been bothered by the thought of someone other than Charlie’s family “loving” her, but when he put more thought into it, it simply proved that he was correct in his assessment of her. And Charlie deserved to be loved by many!

He would simply have to love her just a bit more loudly than everyone else.

~~~

Niffty was a sweetheart through-and-through. She enjoyed ladylike pastimes, was generally polite, and was always happy to try to cheer people up.

She wasn’t necessarily the brightest crayon in the box, but she more than made up for it with her endearing nature. Unfortunately, one of her own flaws was her tendency to eavesdrop while tidying. Being small and quick, people tended not to notice her. And the little darling did so love to hear juicy gossip.

Niffty was thrilled to bits at the new information she’d heard. She knew Alastor had more pep in his step than usual, and his smile seemed to be more natural and sincere. The man radiated his emotions whether or not he showed it on his face.

The petite cyclops had known him long enough to pick up on his little tells. The way his head would cock and one eye would narrow when he was assessing something; how his eyes would have a half-lidded expression when he was having a softer moment; the way his gums would show when he was being particularly vicious. She had noticed that she’d been seeing much more of that soft expression these days, and always when he had his eyes on Charlie.

Wiping down the coffee table, she hummed a bit. There was just something about whirlwind romances like this that piqued her interest like no other.

“Goodness, a royal wedding! Oh, Alastor will look so charming in a fancy outfit,” she mused out loud, standing up and pulling out a feather duster and twirling about.

“My, my, little darling, someone seems to be eavesdropping again.”

“Oh! Hello, Al! I heard you and the girls talking about your upcoming nuptials,” she said pleasantly, largely unfazed by threat that laced his remark.

“Indeed. You really ought to learn not to listen in on other people’s conversations,” he said teasingly.

“I really ought to, but the lesson never seems to stick! Besides, you know what a romantic I am!” she responded, completely unrepentant. Alastor chuckled.

“Ahh, I can never win against you, can I? Yes, Charlie and I are betrothed to one another.”

“Gosh, that’s moving awfully fast, though. You two only just recently started acknowledging that you were hot for each other!”

“Niffty, must you use that terminology?”

“I understand that it’s an arranged marriage, but are you okay, Al? This is all awfully new territory for you!”

Alastor sighed; Niffty really was a darling, but she had a one-track mind, and deterring her was impossible.

“It’s quite a lot to take in, and I’d hoped to take my time courting her,” he admitted. Niffty gave him a knowing smirk.

“But if I know you at all, you decided that she was yours the second you realized she made your coal-black heart flutter.”

Alastor blinked. He had met shoes smarter than Niffty, and yet she was terribly perceptive when she wanted to be.

“Goodness, you are just full of surprises, my dear,” he said, patting her head affectionately.

The two glanced up when they heard rushed footsteps heading into the lobby.

“Al, we need to get to the palace. My parents called, and said the announcement is tonight,” she said breathlessly. Alastor’s eyes widened.

“Well then, we ought to skedaddle!

“Let me let Vaggie know. The wards will keep the hotel safe while we’re gone, right?” asked Charlie anxiously. Alastor nodded.

“Of course, my sweet!”

~~~

“Hello, Angel-face!” Lucifer greeted, pulling Charlie into a tight hug once she and Alastor arrived at the palace.

“Hi Daddy,” said Charlie, muffled by Lucifer’s chest. Alastor raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. The inquisitive look did not go unnoticed by Lilith.

“Darling, we should probably go over how all of this is going to go,” she said. Lucifer released Charlie and nodded.

“We’ll be broadcasting the announcement from our home. Lucifer will proclaim who the two of you are, and then you and Charlie are to say a few words regarding your upcoming vows,” said Lilith. Charlie bit her lower lip, which caught Alastor’s attention.

Oh no, now was _not_ the time to be distracted by absolutely impure thoughts about Charlie.

“You look troubled, my sweet doe,” said Alastor.

“Ah, I’m just…not sure what to say, y’know?”

“Simply tell them the truth, darling! I intend to make my feelings about you quite clear!”

Charlie envied his confidence. She wasn’t sure how to proclaim her ardor for Alastor without making it seem weird. Would it sound canned? What if it came out wrong?

Seeing Charlie looking fretful, Alastor quickly took his place at her side, and she leaned her head against him as he wrapped a reassuring arm around her waist and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair.

Lilith giggled a bit, seeing how smitten the infamous overlord was. It didn’t take much for her to figure out that he was new to the feeling, and she found it adorable. Her silver gaze fell upon Lucifer, who looked ever so slightly irked at the overt display, and she gave a slight jerk of her head, summoning her husband to her side.

“Now, for an event like this, we’ll need to make certain the two of you are dressed appropriately. Luci, I’ll leave our future son-in-law in your capable hands. Charlie, you’re with me, darling!” said Lilith. There was a low undercurrent of mirth in her businesslike tone as she swept Charlie away from Alastor’s grasp, much to the crimson clad demon’s annoyance.

Lucifer’s grin took on a wicked glint.

“Well now, my boy! Shall we go see my personal tailor? It’s important to dress for the occasion!” he slung an arm around Alastor’s shoulders, acutely aware that it was irritating the taller demon.

“Good golly, you are awfully tense, Al! Why so nervous? We’re about to be family, after all!”

Lucifer couldn’t resist giggling at Alastor’s plight; for someone who reveled in messing with others, he certainly seemed to be thrown for a loop when it was thrown back at him. He had to commend him for maintaining that smile, though.

“Ah, you seem to have confused my excitement for nervousness! I can’t wait to appear on the picture show with my dearest Charlie! Think of the reactions! Why, I can see it now!” he crowed, not missing a beat.

“You really do love stirring the pot, don’t you? I like that about you, Al! You’re going to be great fun, aren’t you?”

“I aim to entertain!” he chuckled.

“And I hate to be bored,” said Lucifer, still grinning, but there was a touch of a threat in his words.

“In that you and I are alike,” agreed Alastor. He was thankful for his carefully crafted mask of nonchalance; this exchange was stressful. He may have been powerful, but even he had his limits, and there would be no God helping him if he managed to incur the wrath of his future father-in-law.

“We do have a lot in common, don’t we? I’m glad for that; it would be pretty terrible if we couldn’t get along,” mused Lucifer as they walked. Alastor nodded.

“We both love Charlie, for one,” he said absentmindedly, and then froze, the air pierced with the screech of radio feedback. Lucifer stopped, looked at Alastor, and then began absolutely howling with laughter. He doubled over, wheezing and gasping, placing a hand on Alastor’s shoulder to stabilize himself.

“Ahh, I’m sorry, Al. Yes, we do love that lovely girl, don’t we?” he said, wiping away a tear. Alastor had to fight the urge to throw Lucifer out the nearest window, and his willpower was rapidly decreasing.

“I do believe that it would be fitting to love one’s betrothed!” he said, still feigning cheerfulness. Was it love? He was so new to all of this that he couldn’t be certain, but he felt it best to play along so as not to offend Lucifer.

“Ah, but this is an arranged marriage, Al. And I get the feeling that you were really looking forward to properly courting Charlie, weren’t you?”

“Well, nothing says you can’t court a lady while you’re engaged to her!” Alastor deflected as quickly as he could, parrying Lucifer’s pointed jabs and trying to maintain an even keel.

Lucifer nodded his approval, then pointed Alastor to a door to his side.

“You’ll be working with our grand couturier. Once he has your measurements, you and I will reconvene, and we’ll spend some time bonding for a bit!” said Lucifer cheerfully.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Yeah, bonding! Puffing on cigars and listening to music and talking about what lovely ladies we’ve managed to find!”

Alastor was surprised; he hadn’t been expecting a genuinely wholesome answer from the fallen angel.

He had no time to respond though. The grand couturier of the Magne family had stepped outside, and he made it very plainly known that there would be no lollygagging.

“The announcement is tonight, so I’ll need to take your measurements and get started straight away. This way, please! We want to make sure our future prince looks just as wonderful as our beloved princess!” he said with a sharp click of his heels. Alastor’s eyebrows raised.

“You know, sir, I can just take care of this with a snap of my fingers,” he started, only to be halted by the curt boar demon.

“The clothes I am making for you are special. I need measurements for not only tonight’s suit, but the tuxedo for your wedding,” he said with a huff. Alastor shrugged, figuring that a fight wouldn’t be worth it.

“Fair enough. I suppose it’ll be nice to have something to hang in my closet at the hotel,” he mused.

Measuring tapes proceeded to float around him, winding around him and stretching along his arms and legs. The demon eyeing him clicked his tongue as his hand hung idly in the air, controlling his sewing accoutrements as if it came as naturally as breathing. He made a few remarks, mostly about how lanky Alastor was, and occasionally, one of his tape measures would constrict a bit more aggressively than Alastor found necessary. He made his objection quite apparent when the static in the room increased, but the single-minded demon simply waved his hand in response.

“I need to know the most accurate sizes if I want this to be true _haut couture_! We don’t need the populace of Hell thinking that you’d wear something _prêt-à-porter_ for an announcement like this! Certainly not for an overlord like you, and most definitely not for someone marrying into the Royal Family! Absolutely not, we must do you justice!”

His impassioned rant amused Alastor enough to earn him some leeway, and so he settled down a bit. The tailor held up several bolts of fabric to him, tutting at each one. He would not allow anything less than perfection, and that meant finding just the right shades of crimson and black.

“It helps that you’re a handsome fellow. Drawing out your appealing features will be as easy as breathing.”

When he settled on the perfect fabrics, he circled Alastor one final time and nodded his approval.

“Mm…hm, yes. I believe I have just the thing in mind for you. Tell me, Radio Demon, what is your favorite thing about Princess Charlotte?”

“Her laugh. Her beautiful smile. Anytime she’s happy,” he said. The tailor gave him a faint smile.

“This will be reflected in your suit for tonight. Now, away with you! I have much work to do!” He gave a slight wave to shoo Alastor out of his atelier.

“Well then. All business, that one,” he remarked. Lucifer, who’d been waiting expectantly, chuckled.

“Oh, he always has been. He used to throw such a hissy fit about me refusing to sit still for fittings. Can you blame a guy for wanting to move around? Especially a restless fallen angel!”

“I can indeed relate! Sitting still has never come particularly easily to me,” he said. Lucifer grinned and gestured with his cane.

“Let’s see about some scotch then!”

~~~

Lilith had a much different approach than her husband. While Alastor had been busy being harangued by Lucifer and aggressively measured by the tailor, she and Charlie were in a limo and en route to a spa that she liked. She was lovingly fussing over Charlie, marveling at how lovely she looked.

“Darling, you’re positively glowing! I can see that being in love with the Radio Demon is working nicely for you,” she teased. Charlie flushed.

“I don’t know if it’s _love_ yet, Mom. But I do really, really like him. He’s…well, something else, that’s for sure,” she laughed. Lilith smiled indulgently.

“You’ll know when it’s love, my darling.”

Upon their arrival at the spa, Charlie found herself hurried into a changing room where a pretty little imp stood with a lovely crimson robe at the ready. Charlie took note of the subtle pinstripes that echoed Alastor’s overcoat and blushed a bit.

“Oh my, you must be terribly enamored with him, Princess!” said the imp as she took note of Charlie’s expression. Said princess tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“He is terribly charming, to be fair,” she said with a smile.

“I’m Lorelei. I’ll be your attendant for today, so please don’t hesitate to call on me!” she said with a dainty curtsey.

“You can call me Charlie. It’s great to meet you, Lorelei.”

“So first thing’s first, you change into that robe, and then I’ll take you to your private massage parlor. Would you prefer rain sounds, ambient music, or classical to be played during your massage?” asked the sweet imp.

“Oh, rain, please! I love how it sounds,” said Charlie with a happy sigh. Lorelei nodded and smiled.

“Can do, Princess Charlie!”

Lorelei bounced out of the room, leaving Charlie to change into the silk, monogramed robe. She pulled it closely around her, feeling nervous. All of this was so much, and over such a short time. Despite her joy, she was feeling very rushed.

Her mother chose well. Charlie desperately needed a spa day, and a massage sounded like perfection. Her face lit up when Lorelei returned to lead her to the private room and introduced a graceful cat-demoness.

“Mira will be taking care of your massage! Please enjoy!” said Lorelei sweetly. She bounced away happily, and Mira gave Charlie a warm smile.

“Why don’t you lay down on the table and tell me where you’ve been having the most pain? I’m sure you must be feeling tense with everything happening so suddenly,” she said kindly. Charlie nodded and did as she was told.

“My shoulders and neck are killing me,” she said.

“I can imagine! A wedding coming up, plus that hotel project of yours. I don’t know how you’re managing!” said Mira sympathetically as she set to work on Charlie’s aching shoulders.

“If I’m being honest, even I don’t know how I’m managing. I think it’s mostly thanks to Al and Vaggie,” she said.

An easy silence fell, and Charlie let herself doze as Mira worked her magic on the princess’ muscles. After about an hour, Mira spoke up.

“If you don’t mind divulging, what’s the Radio Demon like? I’ve only ever heard rumors and the carnage he broadcasts.”

“Al? Oh, he’s wonderful. He’s definitely a chaotic bastard, but he’s always thinking of the people he cares about. And his smile is so infectious! And his hair is heavenly soft, and he can be so gentle when the mood strikes,” sighed Charlie dreamily.

“Oh my! You sound like you’re head over heels for him! I can’t say I blame you though, he is terribly handsome,” said Mira slyly.

“He really is. Honestly, he’s so charming,” agreed Charlie. Mira giggled. She knew genuine affection when she saw it, and the way Charlie spoke of the Radio Demon told her everything she needed to know.

“Well, I hope he treasures you as much as you do him.”

~~~

When Charlie emerged from her massage, she gave her mother a hazy smile.

“Mom, this was a brilliant idea. I haven’t felt this relaxed in months,” she said. Lilith stroked her hair.

“I know you haven’t, my sweet girl. That’s why I wanted to make sure you had a relaxing day before tonight’s announcement. And we still have to find the perfect dress for you after all! We’ll be visiting my personal stylist to make sure you look as flawless as a diamond,” she said. Charlie raised an eyebrow sleepily.

“This is a lot of fanfare for just an announcement. It’s not like we’re getting married tomorrow,” she remarked. Lilith shook her head.

“No, the wedding is set for a few months out. But it’s special, and your father and I want to make sure you, Alastor, and all of Hell know that.”

Next on Lilith’s agenda was lunch. She and Charlie headed out to the limo, and Lilith couldn’t help but smile as Charlie hugged the box that held two matching crimson robes, one monogrammed with her initials and the other with Alastor’s.

A.M.

Alastor Magne.

It was only natural that he take her last name; he was the one marrying into royalty, after all. And the name carried a lot of weight to it.

“How funny that his initials are going to be A.M. It fits well with his entire schtick,” mused Lilith. Charlie stared at her mother in shock.

“Mom, whatever you do, please don’t bring that up to him, or he’ll never stop with the radio puns.”

“You say that like he doesn’t crack them already,” said Lilith with a knowing grin. Charlie groaned.

“Waking up to ‘radio not, here I come,’ is kind of ridiculous.”

“Oh, that’s awful.”

“He can’t be stopped. Honestly, he could use those jokes alone to terrorize our people,” laughed Charlie. She may have been talking shit, but she couldn’t keep the affection out of her voice. She secretly loved every stupid pun that came out of her ridiculous deer darling’s mouth, but she knew if he ever found out, his ego might actually blast the roof off of the hotel.

When they arrived at Lilith’s favorite café, they found themselves swarmed. The Queen and the Princess out together was a rare sight, and everyone wanted to ask about it.

However, Lilith wasn’t in the mood to entertain the masses, and she dismissively waved her hand.

“If you’re curious about what sort of mysteries are brewing within the Royal Family, _stay tuned_ for an announcement tonight,” she said with an enigmatic smile. Charlie couldn’t help but smirk at the emphasis her mother had placed on that particular phrase.

Charlie sipped on a mimosa while her mother sweetly interrogated her about the sort of dresses she would enjoy.

“You have tonight’s announcement to dress up for, and don’t forget that you’ll need to select a wedding gown worthy of a-“

“Worthy of a princess, I know, Mom.”

“Worthy of a queen, darling. You may be a princess, but you should carry yourself with the confidence of a queen,” corrected Lilith. Charlie ran her finger around the rim of her glass thoughtfully. Carrying herself in the same way as her mother seemed so foreign and downright _wrong_ to her.

“Charlotte, you are my daughter. Lift your head, stand up straight, and remind all of Hell that _you_ are the demoness who holds the heart of the Radio Demon.”

~~~

Charlie was stunned at how quickly the seamstress at the boutique her mother had selected worked; she was even more stunned by the gown she had dolled Charlie up in.

“We’re going to draw out your lovely features with lace, silk, and leather!” said the petite snake demoness. Twirling Charlie around, she nodded with a pleased expression.

“Yes, I know just the thing! Give me three hours, and I’ll have your gown and shoes delivered to your suite at the palace! Oh, I’m so excited! This is going to be such fun to breathe life into,” she said blissfully.

Lilith checked over the sketched design and nodded her approval. She passed it over to Charlie, whose eyes widened. The design looked gorgeous; nothing like any outfit Charlie had ever worn, but elegant and mature. It looked like something Lilith would have worn.

“Mom, do you really think I can pull something like that off?” she asked a bit breathlessly.

“Of course you can, Sweet Apple!” replied her mother, as if it were the most simple and obvious thing in the world. Charlie approached her and leaned her head against her side. Lilith stroked her hair, comforting her nervous daughter.

“Why don’t we head back to the palace? You seem a bit overwhelmed, and you could probably stand to have a nap, or at least relax with your intended,” she suggested. Charlie nodded, still leaning on her mother.

The two thanked the designer, who grasped Charlie’s hands excitedly and gushed over how thrilled she was to help her shine.

Upon reaching the palace, Lilith wrapped her arm around Charlie’s shoulders and gently guided her to her suite.

“You’ll find your old room still perfectly in order, my little love. Alastor has been informed of where the two of you will be staying this evening; I wouldn’t be surprised if he were already in there,” she said with a wink. Charlie blushed furiously, and sputtered, but Lilith simply sent her off to her room with a gentle push.

Charlie had to admit it was nice to be in her old room. The sense of familiarity washed over her, and she finally realized exactly how badly she needed to lie down for a bit. She flopped onto her bed, and closed her eyes, burying her face into her myriad of fluffy pillows.

“Mmm…I’ll just rest my eyes for a moment…” she mumbled.

Of course, saying that you’ll be resting your eyes for just a moment is usually the precursor to a long nap, and Charlie was no exception. When Alastor finally managed to get a break from his future father-in-law, he found himself wanting to dive onto Charlie’s bed next to her.

Her certainly didn’t dive, but he did lie down next to her and pull her gently into his arms. She stirred a bit, and murmured a small greeting, snuggling closer to him, much to his delight. He couldn’t resist pressing affectionate little kisses to the top of her head or running his claws gently through her hair.

Eventually, he also felt the pull of sleep; the king and queen _had_ told them to rest up in Charlie’s room, as the evening was bound to be a busy one.

He tucked Charlie against himself and finally decided to nap. It wouldn’t do to make the announcement looking frazzled and more sleep-deprived than usual.

~~~

Lucifer knocked on Charlie’s bedroom door a bit later, and grinned at Alastor when he answered. While the crimson-clad menace looked perfectly put-together, Lucifer could still see a trace of bleariness in his eyes.

“It’s time! You and my little apple pie should get ready and meet us in the ballroom. Quickly now! The public is waiting,” he said. Alastor could swear that he felt like Lucifer was calling him out, but decided not to press the matter. Instead, he returned to Charlie’s bed and began playing with her hair

“Sweetheart, it’s time,” he said in a low voice.

Charlie sleepily swatted at him.

“Mmm…five more minutes,” she whined softly. Alastor chuckled, but he did not relent. Instead, he flopped onto the adorable princess safely tucked beneath her blankets, earning a muffled “oof.”

“Al, why are you like this?” she groaned, trying to sit up despite being caged by lanky limbs. He tucked his face into the crook of her head and shoulder, and gave her a playful nip.

“Your father came by to let us know that it’s time to get up and going, my dear! I’m certainly excited for this evening’s festivities!” he said cheerfully, still not moving from on top of Charlie.

“Wait! Al, get off-“

“Well, it is a bit early, but if that’s what you want,” he snickered as Charlie forgot how words were supposed to work.

“We need to get ready!” she said, finally managing to push him off of her and onto the mattress while he laughed.

“Indeed we do, you adorable darling! Is there anything I can assist you with?” he asked as Charlie walked over to where a dress bag had been neatly hung up above a shoebox.

“Hm…I should probably do something with my hair, but I just don’t know,” she said as she opened the bag. Alastor peered over her shoulder curiously upon hearing her gasp quietly.

“Good gracious, that certainly is quite a gown,” he said with his eyebrows raised. Charlie held it against her body, eyes wide, and Alastor gave her a gentle push toward her bathroom.

“Go on, put it on, darling. It will look beautiful on you,” he said. A blush spread over Charlie’s cheeks, and she hurried off to change.

While he waited, Alastor gave his own announcement attire a discerning look, wondering why the design looked so familiar to him, and then it dawned on him.

That cheeky grand couturier had patterned the sharp suit after the outfit Charlie had worn during her disastrous interview, tailoring it to flatter Alastor’s lanky, angular frame. He approved of the length of the coat, thankful that the tailor had made sure Alastor’s fluffy secret would remain concealed.

His ears twitched upon hearing the door to Charlie’s bathroom open, and he turned to greet her with a grin, and found himself silent.

Charlie stood before him, shyly fiddling with a lock of her hair, and gazed up at his face.

“Is it okay?” she asked.

He answered by reaching out for her, pulling her flush against his body, and taking her chin in his hand to tilt her face up and kiss her.

“You are exquisite,” he said in a soft, reverent voice. Charlie gave him a slightly dazed smile and took his hand to kiss the tips of his fingers.

“And you make one very handsome Prince of Hell,” she said, prompting a prideful puff of his chest. She couldn’t help but giggle and press a fond kiss to his cheek at that.

The two found their moment interrupted by one of the many imp maids poking her head into the room.

“Sorry to interrupt, but your parents are waiting for you, Charlie!” she chirped. Charlie felt the nervousness return, coiling in her stomach.

“Come along, my darling princess,” coaxed Alastor, letting his hand fall to the small of her back.

The two followed the maid to a balcony that overlooked Pentagram City, where Charlie’s parents and a camera crew waited. Lucifer’s already wide smile broadened when he saw his daughter. Motioning for the two to stand next to himself and Lilith, he nodded at the camera crew.

“Greetings, denizens of Pentagram City! I’m sure it must be quite a shock to have your channels forced over to this announcement, but rest assured that you’ll find it exciting!”

Charlie slipped her hand into Alastor’s and gave it a nervous squeeze, and he responded by gently rubbing his thumb over hers.

“Tonight we are overjoyed to announce the betrothal of my daughter, Princess Charlotte, to the Radio Demon himself, Alastor!” said Lucifer proudly. Lilith tilted her head toward the pair.

“Charlotte, darling, why don’t you and your dear betrothed say a few words to our people?” she prompted. Charlie fidgeted nervously for a moment, and Alastor spoke up.

“Greetings and salutations, Pentagram City! As our illustrious king said, tonight is a special night! After all, it’s not every day that you become betrothed to the beautiful demoness of your dreams! Charlotte truly is a one-of-a-kind demon belle, and I’m delighted to be able to announce how much I love my wonderful fiancée,” he said. His eyes narrowed as if to clarify that he meant what he said, and as far as he was concerned, no one in Hell would touch _his_ Charlie.

Charlie froze, and stared up at him, starry-eyed and surprised. He turned to her and gave her hand an affectionate squeeze.

“Charlotte, do you have anything you’d like to say about your betrothal?” asked Lilith, giving her daughter an encouraging smile. Charlie looked at Alastor once more and beamed.

“Hello, everyone! It’s nice to be able to address all of you again, and with such exciting news! Alastor really is amazing, and I can’t wait for him to officially be a part of the Magne family, although I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t even more excited for him to be my beloved husband,” she said, looking up at him with a soft expression.

Lucifer and Lilith nodded approvingly, and Lucifer opened his mouth to say something, but found himself interrupted by Alastor twirling Charlie closer to him and kissing her for all of Hell to see. Lilith let out a delighted giggle, and Lucifer sighed.

“Be sure to tune into 666 News next week for an exclusive interview with our lovely couple, and have a swell night, everyone!”

With a snap of his fingers, the cameras turned off, and Lucifer turned to Alastor and Charlie.

“You’re a cheeky bastard, Alastor, but I like that about you,” he said approvingly. The Radio Demon’s grin widened.

“Al, did you mean what you said?” asked Charlie, not caring that her parents were still present, despite the fact that Lilith had to keep her hand on Lucifer’s shoulder to keep him from going over to separate the two in his over-protective fatherly way.

“Every word of it, my love,” he said.

Charlie had no words.

She answered him with a kiss.

~~~

A few days after their announcement, a pair of rather noisy guests came knocking at the hotel doors. Venna dutifully answered, but she found herself bowled over and confused. She was beginning to wonder when she would learn not to answer the damn door.

“Oh, Alastor! How could you go and get engaged and not tell us?!” cried a pretty songstress, practically charging into the hotel with a tall, elegant woman in tow.

That woman had the most terrifying eyes Charlie had ever seen, and she had made out with _Alastor_. Multiple times. In multiple places.

He was very affectionate when he wanted to be, and he seemed to always want to be affectionate around Charlie.

“Hello and welcome to the-“

“Oh, goodness, it’s so nice to finally meet you, Princess Charlotte! I’m Mimzy, and this lovely lady with me is Rosie. We’re long-time friends of Alastor! Oh, aren’t you just the cutest little doll!” she gushed, grabbing Charlie’s hands. Charlie laughed awkwardly and her eyes darted around, trying to find Alastor.

“Mimzy, dear, don’t overwhelm the princess, please,” said Rosie, placing a hand on the shorter woman’s shoulder.

“Rosie, Mimzy! Isn’t this a surprise!” Alastor chuckled as he appeared next to Charlie. Rosie lightly chided him.

“A surprise is finding out one of your dear friends is engaged and he didn’t tell you!” Alastor gave her an almost sheepish smile.

“In his defense, everything was awfully sudden,” said Charlie quickly. Rosie took her hand and patted it.

“Oh, don’t fret, dearie. I’m just razzing the dear boy,” she said with a light giggle. She placed a hand against Charlie’s face gently.

“My goodness, you are a vision, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

Charlie’s already rosy cheeks seemed to ignite as she blushed at Rosie’s tender expression. How those pitch black eyes could express such gentleness boggled Charlie’s mind.

“It’s lovely to finally see where our Alastor has been spending all of his time. This place is far more upscale than I had been expecting! Of course, with you being who you are and having Al’s help, I can’t say I’m too surprised.”

Alastor invited them to enjoy the lobby, and Niffty ran in with a tray of refreshments. Mimzy parked herself next to him and regarded Charlie with a critical eye.

She really was a cute little thing; although Mimzy could definitely see that Charlie would likely mature into a beauty like her mother. Those big, sparkling eyes would always lend her an air of sweetness though, that much she could tell. And from what she could remember of Charlie’s little musical number, she did give quite lovely hugs. It was like she radiated warmth and light.

All in all, it was hard not to like the sweet princess when sitting and speaking to her personally.

“So tell us all about it! How did the Princess of Hell sweep the infamous Radio Demon off his feet?” asked Mimzy, eyes full of mirth. Charlie giggled a bit, blushing behind the tiny sandwich she had taken.

“Oh, gosh, it’s nothing like that! We just…sort of fell together, I suppose. It just…felt right. _He_ felt right.”

“My dearest, please don’t discredit yourself. How could I resist that ebullient charm of yours?” he teased, puffing his chest out a bit after hearing Charlie speak so freely about how she felt.

“Well! I never thought I’d see the day that Ally-bear flirted with a doll, but here we are!” said Mimzy, tittering a bit.

“It wasn’t that long ago that you were pining over him, Mimzy darling,” said Rosie lightly. Mimzy blushed.

“Just because you’re right doesn’t mean you have to say it, Rosie!” she chided.

“Still, what a surprise! Our Alastor, Prince Consort to the Princess of Hell!” said Rosie affectionately. Alastor laughed lightly and intertwined his fingers with Charlie’s. The small gesture did not go unnoticed by the taller demoness, and she smiled approvingly. The little princess must be something special to capture Alastor’s heart the way she had.

It seemed like she had even managed to get Mimzy to warm up to her in no time at all.

Rosie’s smile softened.

Being genuinely loved suited Alastor nicely.

And this was all too entertaining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meowza, this was a long one. 
> 
> Fun fact, it was written mostly while I was on heavy duty painkillers after a recent trip to the hospital. 2020 is a cursed year, so I'm going to take it out on Venna in the form of slapstick comedy.


	7. Tattle-Tail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor and Charlie spend time being disgustingly cute together. Venna feels her sins crawling on her back.
> 
> SMUT AHEAD, Y'ALL.

Alastor twirled Charlie around only to pull her close and plant a kiss on her forehead, much to her delight. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, which he greedily accepted.

Her lips were like a drug to him; he was _certain_ that this was what Angel had described to him. He simply couldn’t get enough.

“Charlie, my lovely belle, a man could get addicted to the taste of your lips,” he murmured between kisses. Charlie smiled against him.

“You’re not so bad yourself, my _deer_ ,” she teased as she nipped playfully at his lower lip.

The two of them were currently in Charlie’s suite, which may as well be called _their_ suite, as Alastor seemed to spend all of his nights in her bed.

He hadn’t expected the comfort that came from sleeping with someone. With Charlie snuggled up against him, snoring ever so softly, it was hard not to let his eyelids drift shut. He didn’t even want to resist the siren call of sleep; not when Charlie was nestled safely in his arms.

At that moment, however, Charlie was held _sinfully_ in his arms. His long, clawed fingers gently scratched at her back, causing her to arch closer to him, granting him access to her neck.

Goodness gracious in heaven, how he loved biting and kissing her neck. He always managed to find just the right spots to nip and lick; and Charlie always let out the loveliest gasps.

She was temptation incarnate as far as he was concerned. The way her eyes demurely lowered when he tried to hold her gaze with his own half-lidded stare made him want to gently grip her chin and make her meet his eyes.

He twitched when he felt Charlie’s nails trail up his back and drag down just enough to leave light scratch marks, and he felt her smirk against his collarbone.

That adorable, wicked minx!

Not one to be shown up in any endeavor, he hoisted Charlie up easily, and wrapped her legs around his thin waist.

“Oh me, oh my, it appears that a crime has been committed,” he said, pressing her against a wall. He allowed her to lower her legs enough so that her toes reached the floor, but for the most part kept her supported with his lower body.

“A crime against the very essence of Hell itself,” he continued, pressing a kiss to her neck. Charlie giggled.

“And blunders such as this…”

He placed another kiss, this time letting his teeth graze her neck lightly.

“Have consequences.”

This time he sank his teeth into her neck, enough to draw blood, but not enough to cause any real damage. Charlie mewled, clawing at his back more fervently, but he remained impassive, laving his tongue against the newly punctured skin. He pulled away slightly and pressed an affectionate kiss to the wound, as if to apologize for drawing blood.

Not that either of them minded.

Charlie squirmed as he continued his rain of kisses and bites, becoming all too aware of a heat pooling in the pit of her stomach. The warm cinnamon and deep forest scent that seemed to always be present on Alastor seemed to permeate her senses even more than usual, and she wiggled her hips against him in a desperate bid for relief.

“Oh dear, are you quite alright?” he asked, feigning innocence as he trailed a sharp claw down her side, teasing slightly at the waistband of her pants.

“Like you don’t know what you’re doing,” she huffed indignantly.

“Oh, mark me-“ he began, but Charlie interrupted him by catching his locks in her fist and gently tugging.

“Well, if you insist,” she said with a wicked grin before pressing an aggressive kiss to his neck. She was quite pleased when she heard him stifle a slight groan, and bit and sucked until he was shivering slightly.

“What I lack in experience, I will more than make up for in enthusiasm,” he said, picking her up and moving her to her (their) bed. He easily dropped her onto her back and loomed over her.

“Tell me, Charlie, how much can you handle before you unravel completely?” he asked, running his claws gently along her scalp and through her hair. She sighed into his touch, snuggling against him.

“More than you think,” she said, clearly challenging him.

For all of Alastor’s braggadocio, Charlie knew she had an ace up her sleeve that came in the form of her succubus lineage. Lilith’s blood coursing through her veins gave her the upper hand in the art of seduction. The more wound up she was, the stronger the effect she had on her partner. Alastor was wildly outmatched in this regard.

And she was wildly wound up.

She could see his pupils completely blown, and she was able to feel his heart racing, and his breath fanned over her skin, warming it and tickling her.

“Alastor, would you like to go further?” she asked softly. He swallowed thickly and rested his forehead against her.

“I’ve. I’ve never once felt this sensation before, my darling. It’s uncharted territory.”

“It’s okay if you want to slow down-“

Alastor placed one spindly finger against her lips.

“Just a bit further, dearest.”

Charlie blinked. She had been prepared to reign in her urges, and here he was asking to take a baby step further.

Alastor decided to take advantage of her brief shock, and crashed his lips into hers.

“Let me taste you, please,” he murmured against her lips. A shiver of delight danced down Charlie’s spine.

“Do it.”

With those two words, Alastor made short work of removing Charlie’s pants and hooking his fingers into the waistband of her panties. He took his time to slide them down, marveling at Charlie’s long, slender legs.

Her skin was so pale, completely unmarred.

He could fix that.

Alastor dragged his claws up her legs before tossing her panties aside and planting kisses along the inside of her thighs, nipping playfully and squeezing gently. He took a moment to give her ass a teasing squeeze, and lowered his head slowly toward her exposed pussy.

Charlie whined as his breath fanned over her; the heat pooling in her core was becoming all-consuming, but she resisted the urge to grab his hair and pull his face into her. It wouldn’t do to scare him off.

All of those thoughts fled from her mind as Alastor’s tongue went to work, initially flicking tentatively between her folds. He seemed to be spurred on by Charlie’s sweetly approving moan, and began probing at her entrance.

“A-a-alastor!” she whimpered, clawing at her sheets.

“Yes, my love?” he murmured between licks. Charlie only responded with another moan; her high voice seemed to set off something in Alastor as he lapped at her aggressively now. Upon running his tongue over her clit and earning a particularly lovely whimper, he decided to spend some time lavishing it with attention.

He was particularly pleased at her reaction to him slipping a finger into her core; the wetness fascinated him as much as it aroused him. Just to test, he inserted another probing finger, and curled the two up within her to press against a curiously soft spot.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Charlie was thankful for her carpeted floors and luxurious curtains absorbing the sound of her passionate cries as Alastor continued to devour her.

“A-al, I’m gonna- I’m- fuck!” she bit her lower lip and trembled as something snapped in her.

Alastor, meanwhile, was delighted, feeling her walls tighten and convulse on his fingers.

_What would she feel like elsewhere?_

His name fell from her lips like a litany, and it went straight to his ego. He was amazed at how it almost felt like an act of worship even though he had been the one lovingly devouring his darling princess.

When she finally began to come down, he gently pulled his fingers out of her and took a moment to taste her essence on his fingers.

“Normally I’m not fond of sweets, but I think you’re the exception,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Charlie snuggled into him, still shaking a bit.

“How did I do?” he asked, and Charlie was surprised at the almost shy way he asked.

“You’re a natural,” she said, pulling him onto her and scooting him onto his side so she could cuddle him.

“You seem awfully dazed, darling. Would a nap suit your fancy?” he asked sweetly. Charlie kissed the junction of his neck and collar.

“First, shall I return the favor?” she asked coyly. Alastor gave her a gentle smile; the kind he reserved only for her.

“Perhaps later, my love. For now, let’s get a nap in, shall we?”

~~~

It wasn’t unusual for the hotel to be quiet and fairly peaceful in the afternoons, and over the month or so that Venna had been staying there, she had developed a routine that she liked.

Cats were all about routines, after all.

This afternoon, like many others, had her lounging, legs draped over Husk’s lap. Husk had fallen asleep in the middle of scratching her behind her ears, and his head lolled back, with his claws still tangled in Venna’s hair. She was lounging with her back against a cushion and idly playing a game on the phone that Vaggie had insisted she get.

 _“Just in case you get into trouble and need to call for help,”_ Vaggie had said.

It was hard to resist the urge to follow Husk’s lead and take a nap as well, and it didn’t help that she hadn’t bothered changing into her uniform, opting to stay in the pajamas Angel had selected for her.

Said spider demon boisterously bounced into the room and beelined over to poke Venna, to which she responded with:

“Mrrrp?”

Somehow, Niffty raising her phone as she lurked behind the sofa to record Venna’s adorable little sound went unnoticed. It helped that Angel had immediately begun cooing over how cute it was, much to her annoyance.

It wasn’t like she could really help the sounds that she made sometimes. They just _happened._

“Angel, shh! Husk finally fell asleep, and he hasn’t been sleeping well these days,” she said softly, still rubbing her eyes sleepily. Angel chuckled lightly, and lazily flopped over the armchair next to the sofa.

“You ‘n Husky are awfully cozy, aintcha?” he teased. Venna turned her nose up at him, ignoring the blush rising to her cheeks, choosing to direct her attention to Husk’s purring.

“What do you want?”

“I’m bored! Pay attention to me,” he said simply. She stretched her legs and yawned.

“Alright, you win. You have my undivided attention,” she said with an indulgent smile.

“Lemme do somethin’ with your hair. It’s always in that same borin’ ponytail!” he suggested. Venna tilted her head and thought for a moment, before shrugging.

“Sure, why not?”

“Yes! Pull that ribbon out and lemme get ta work!” he said triumphantly as he angled his chair to better access Venna’s hair. Venna sat up just a bit, carefully avoiding waking Husk.

“Every time I try to touch the stupid thing, it burns my hand. I think Al must have done that on purpose,” she grumbled. Angel frowned, and reached over, tugging at the neat bow and allowing Venna’s long hair to flow down her shoulders freely. He carefully set the ribbon on the armrest and set to work. The small feline shivered as she felt a surge of power flow through her.

“Damn, you got a lotta hair, even when you ain’t fillin’ an entire hallway with it! Was it like this when you were alive?” he asked, threading his fingers through it to assess it. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

“Mm…it was pretty long, but it wasn’t quite this straight,” she said.

“Yeah? Bet you were a real beauty, weren’t ya?” he teased. Venna dismissively waved a paw.

“Hardly. I looked like I’d never seen the sun, and I always had these awful bags under my eyes from staying up late. And my coworkers always called me gloomy,” she said with a light chuckle.

“Yeah, I could see that. Took ya forever to start talkin’ to anyone aside from Husk an’ Vags,” he said, carefully sectioning part of her hair into three locks and weaving them together.

“I wasn’t always like that,” she said, feigning indignance. Angel let out a derisive snort.

“Well, I wasn’t always as…recalcitrant. I’ve always been shy and slow to warm up to people, though,” she admitted.

“So what sorta shit were ya into?” he prodded.

“This and that. I was something of a shut-in, aside from the occasional boyfriend or girlfriend,” she said lightly. Angel raised a curious eyebrow. Now she was being interesting, although she had avoided the actual point of his question. Still, this was more interesting.

“Now we’re talkin’! What kinda guys?” he asked with a nudge and a grin.

There was a brief pause, and Angel’s expression fell a bit when he watched a dark look cross over Venna’s features.

“We’ll leave it at them not being the highest calibre of gentlemen,” she said quietly. Angel’s eyes softened; he knew that feeling.

He was no fool; he knew that there was much more hiding beneath Venna’s shy and polite exterior. He occasionally caught some nasty vibes off of her after she had finished talking to Alastor, or after flinging someone out of the hotel for one catcall too many. It was as though some sort of burning grudge threatened to bubble out of her and consume her.

Her empty eye radiated malevolence at those times, and he wasn’t a fan of it.

“ _Gattina_ , y’know Vags is gonna drag your story out of ya eventually, don’t ya? It’d be easier to just come clean,” he suggested. Venna gave him a withering look in response.

“That’s rich coming from you,” she deadpanned. Angel shrugged.

“Do as I say, not as I do, toots!”

“Look, it’s only been a month and a half…I think? I don’t know how time works here,” she mused.

“It doesn’t,” said Angel.

“It just gets darker when it’s supposed to be night, and lighter when it’s allegedly daytime, but there’s no real rhyme or reason to it,” chimed Alastor, scaring the living bejeebies out of Angel and Venna, which prompted Venna to accidentally claw Husk, who woke with a distressed yowl. The yowl further spooked Venna, whose tails had fluffed to twice their usual circumference, and she sprang off of Husk’s lap and sprinted up the stairs.

” _Bastardo dai capelli rossi!”_

Alastor positively _howled_ with laughter.

~~~

Sometime after playfully tormenting his associates, Alastor made his way into Vaggie’s office, where the petite woman had requested his presence.

“Hey, Al, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Vaggie! What can I do for you?”

Vaggie currently sat perched on her desk, looking at Venna’s intake record.

“What exactly did she do to get down here? She’s so timid and jumpy, I can’t help but feel like she shouldn’t be here,” explained Vaggie, pointing at the blank space on the form. Alastor tilted his head and his grin waned a bit.

“You should ask her, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, because getting a straight answer out of her is such an easy thing to do,” deadpanned Vaggie. She sighed and set Venna’s file down.

“We don’t know anything about her. Not what she did to get down here, not what she did for a living, not even her true name.”

“Well, not every sinner is as blatantly unrepentant as me!” said Alastor. Vaggie glared at him.

“Are you trying to cheer me up or mock me?”

“Yes!”

“Shouldn’t you be staring at Charlie’s butt right now?” she countered. Alastor’s eye twitched slightly, but he met Vaggie’s barb easily.

“Indeed I should, but it’s quite rude to stare at people while they sleep!” Vaggie raised an eyebrow, impressed.

“You got her to take an actual nap? Damn, what kind of dark magic did you use?” she joked.

Alastor felt an odd sensation taking place in his stomach, similar to the feeling of a peal of laughter about to bubble up, while also carrying a signature similar to smugness.

“A magician never reveals his secrets,” he said with a wink. Vaggie groaned.

“Ugh, talking to you is about as helpful as talking to a plant.”

The taller demon didn’t seem to mind the remark, finding it more amusing to needle the beleaguered moth demoness.

“Tell me, my dear, would you like a hint about the girl?”

“What do you want?” she asked, knowing he wouldn’t simply give her a hint without making a stupid demand in exchange.

_Damn dealmakers._

“A favor, to be cashed in at my convenience,” he said, holding out his hand. Vaggie swatted at it.

“Absolutely not!” she snapped, earning a laugh.

“Ah, you take everything so seriously, it’s hilarious! No, no, no, no, I’ll give you a hint, don’t you worry your pretty silver head,” he said, patting her hair condescendingly, delighted at the furious shade of red that had ignited Vaggie’s cheeks. Her anger was palpable.

“If you’re not going to help, then please get out of my office,” she said, seething. Alastor sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk and propped his legs up casually.

“Here’s your hint: dogs can’t use one of those newfangled MRI machines, but cats can.”

Vaggie’s eye twitched and her hand went for a knife to fling at him, but he had already melted into the shadows and zipped out of her office.

“ _Estúpido e inútil hijo de puta. Joder, lo mataré,”_ she hissed, flinging her knife at a dartboard that Charlie had given her.

She did smile with a sense of satisfaction as it landed precisely between the eyes of a photo of Alastor that she’d stuck to it.

~~~

Charlie slowly opened her eyes, not quite ready to leave the comfort of her bed. The pillow next to her still smelled like Alastor, and she couldn’t help but snuggle into it.

Eventually though, her need to use the bathroom outweighed her desire to stay in bed, and so she kicked her blankets off to go deal with that.

Upon finishing in the bathroom, she had a thought.

The hotel had been quiet all day.

Entirely too quiet.

She narrowed her eyes as though waiting for something to go horribly wrong, but only found more of the strangely peaceful silence.

Up until it was broken by the sound of loud polka music coming from her phone.

She cursed as she jumped, but managed to answer.

“Hi Dad. What’s up?”

“Hello, my sweet little apple beignet! Would you mind terribly if I dropped by for a visit? I heard a terribly strange broadcast over my radio, and realized that I might be able to help you with a problem of yours!”

Charlie squinted at her phone.

“What problem? I haven’t run into any outside of no one really coming by yet,” she said, clearly confused. Lucifer chuckled.

“I’m sure your intended can enlighten you. In any case, I’m coming by! I miss my little angel face!” he cooed. Charlie groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Okay, Dad. Knock when you get here, and for the love of Grandpa, don’t scare Venna halfway to her second death, okay?”

Lucifer cheerfully agreed, and Charlie hung up, feeling a headache coming on already. Honestly, she regretted waking up, wishing she could go back to her dream of fluffy clouds and the scent of Alastor, and his warmth.

She closed her eyes as she pulled on a comfortable dress, and smiled to herself as she thought of how nice it felt when Alastor wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair. She swore she could almost feel the light pressure of those lanky limbs.

Hold on.

Not almost; she could feel him.

“Hello, my love!”

Charlie spun around in his arms, giggling.

“You’re lucky I know exactly how your arms feel, otherwise I’d have punched you straight through the wall,” she said, lightly stroking one of his ears. She still couldn’t get over just how damn soft they were!

“Hmm, careful, I might be attracted to that! I do have a thing about walls,” he said with a mischievous grin. Charlie raised an eyebrow and found herself pressed against a wall with Alastor’s lips pressed against hers.

“They’re so delightfully sturdy; perfect for pushing a pretty little princess up against and kissing her until she can’t think straight,” he murmured against her mouth. Charlie let out the smallest little whine at that much to Alastor’s glee.

“Well, I do believe we have an important guest coming, so we should head down to greet them!”

Alastor practically tap danced away, leaving Charlie breathless and annoyed.

“That _tease_!”

~~~

Niffty was the one to answer the door when Lucifer arrived, and she cheerfully greeted him without a care in the world.

“Oh, hello, Your Highness! Are you here to have dinner with all of us? I’ve been cooking up a storm!” she said happily. Lucifer chuckled.

“Well, I hadn’t intended to originally, but how can I say no to that face? I’d be delighted, if you have room at your table, that is!”

“A proper lady is always prepared to host guests at the drop of a hat!” Niffty informed him. Upon hearing that, Lucifer promptly removed and dropped his hat, which Niffty caught quickly and hip checked onto a nearby hat rack. Lucifer clapped his hands, clearly amused, as Niffty twirled and curtsied.

“Well, I’d best get back to cooking! See you at dinner!”

Lucifer chuckled lightly as he watched the tiny cyclops zip back into the kitchen, and he decided to take an idle walk around the hotel lobby. How precious it was that Charlie had left so many family paintings up adorning the walls.

“Oh! Your highness!”

Lucifer glanced down to see Venna curtsey and give him a warm smile. She was glad she had thought to change into something more appropriate than her pajamas.

“Hello, my girl! It’s been a bit since I stopped by! You seem to be adjusting well!” he said pleasantly. Venna nodded.

“Should I tell Charlie that you’re here?” she asked politely. Lucifer shook his head.

“No, no, she already knows. Tell me, Miss…”

“Vendetta, but you can call me Venna,” she said sweetly.

“Tell me, Venna, how are you doing?”

She tilted her head.

“In what context?”

“In the context of your…alleged rehabilitation,” he said, his grin taking on a slightly dismissive edge.

“Um…it’s fine. I’m getting used to being here, although I can’t say being in Hell is pleasant.”

“It’s not supposed to be.”

Venna shifted her weight from her right foot to her left, and fidgeted nervously. She did NOT enjoy having Lucifer’s attention on her.

Lucifer, on the other hand, had to keep from laughing at Venna’s clear discomfort. He didn’t even have to work on punishing her for her sins, she did it all on her own! He did pause and squint for a moment, noticing a strange trace of magic around her throat. To anyone else, it would be unnoticeable, but Lucifer recognized the mark of a dealmaker when he saw it. It wasn’t hard to guess where she had gotten that.

“I-i-if you don’t need anything from me-“

“Sit with me.”

Venna felt her insides twist and she did as she was instructed, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. She flinched upon hearing the telltale sound of radio static filling the air.

“Well, hello there, Alastor! Is Charlie on her way down?”

“Yessir! She’ll be down in a moment, but she asked me if I could move you and Venna to the reception room!”

The hapless feline shot a despairing look at Husk, who shrugged, and made a motion to indicate that he’d make her a drink when she came back. Alastor placed his hand between her shoulder blades and pushed her along, happily chattering with Lucifer. Upon entering the reception room, Alastor cheerfully plopped Venna down on the couch, right next to Lucifer. He bit his lower lip trying to hide his amusement at her expression; it was as if her soul had been sucked out.

While Lucifer and Alastor exchanged glances that conveyed their mutual mirth, Charlie entered the room.

“Hi, Dad! Al! V…Venna? What are you doing here?”

Venna gave a strangled squeak in response.

“Are you two picking on her?”

“Not at all!” said Lucifer, boisterously wrapping an arm around Venna’s shoulders. She looked ready to sink through the floor and into the void.

“Venna, my dad is here to help us make some progress on your rehabilitation. We need to know what sin you committed if you want to have any shot at going to Heaven!” explained Charlie. Venna sighed, and slumped down on the couch.

“What Charlie means is that there isn’t any point in keeping it a secret any longer, as Lucifer here will simply tell us if you don’t!”

“Al! That’s not what I mean! Dad is just here to help give us context to your actions.”

The small feline gazed at the ground, and finally spoke in a quiet voice.

“Have you ever heard of oncology?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOW THE FUCK AM I AT 2k+ HITS AND ALMOST 100 KUDOS, EXPLAIN YOURSELVES
> 
> I can't wait for Venna to have to explain oncology to Alastor, this is gonna be wild.
> 
> ”Bastardo dai capelli rossi!” - Red haired bastard!
> 
> "Estúpido e inútil hijo de puta. Joder, lo mataré." - Stupid, useless son of a bitch. I'm gonna kill him.

**Author's Note:**

> Alastor dat's ghey


End file.
